Time Patrollers 2
by rdphoenix07
Summary: The sequel to the first Time Patrollers story. Set 2 months after Dark Army, the Patrollers are preparing for the final battle against Towa and Mira. But new enemies are lurking about, and one of the Patrollers may very well be a traitor. Who could it be? And will it lead to the downfall of the Time Patrol?
1. Chapter 1

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2-Time Patrollers

Chapter One: Welcome to Conton City! A New Adventure Awaits!

_Planet Vegeta-The Past..._

"_This is the last time I gaze upon this planet."_

_Staring out the window of his ship, Frieza had his sights set on Planet Vegeta, home of the Saiyans, a warrior race that had worked for him and his family for many years. They had proven to be capable fighters and had served the Frieza Empire well, destroying and conquering whole civilizations and securing planets for profit. Yet despite this, Frieza despised the Saiyans and saw them as useless barbarians. They had served their purpose long enough and it was time to cut his losses with them. But, what no one else knew, was that deep down, Frieza feared the Saiyans, even though he would never admit that out loud. Or, more precisely, he feared what they could become. He had heard of a legend among the Saiyans, a legend that spoke of a powerful warrior capable of opposing even him: The Super Saiyan!_

_While he wanted to deny it was just a story, a part of him couldn't shake the feeling there may be a bit of truth to that legend. After all, hadn't his distant ancestor fallen to a warrior fitting the description of a Super Saiyan? In fact, his ancestor's final words just before he died had been a warning to his people to watch for a warrior with golden hair and immense power, a warrior that had called himself a Super Saiyan. For years Frieza had sought out information about the legendary warrior but had turned up very little. For the most part, the Saiyans themselves had either forgotten about the legend all together or just dismissed it as nothing more than a fairy tail. While that soothed Frieza's fears somewhat, he still felt apprehensive and had decided it would be best not to take any chances. Thus he had summoned all the Saiyans back to their home world and was now about to commence his plan. King Vegeta had already been disposed of, by Frieza's own hand in fact. The Galactic Emperor had decided to spare the late King's son and keep him on as one of his subordinates, along with two other Saiyans, whose names escaped Frieza at the moment._

_Despite everything going according to plan, there had been one issue. A lone Saiyan warrior had somehow gotten wind of his plans and had tried to warn the others. Fortunately, none had believed him and turned a deaf ear to him. Still, Frieza felt it was best to get on with his plan before the rabble rouser stirred up anymore suspicion and managed to convince his fellow Saiyans. Frieza suddenly spotted something! Glaring, he saw it was none other than the troublemaker himself! The Saiyan was floating outside, several feet away from the ship, staring defiantly at him. Already many of Frieza's soldiers were gathered outside to deal with him. _

"_Time to put an end to this," Frieza said. "Zarbon! Open the hatch. I'm going out to greet our guest."_

_Outside the ship, the Saiyan warrior, Bardock, stared up at Frieza's ship and the gathered soldiers. There were way too many just for him to deal with, but he didn't care. He had a mission to accomplish and he would see it done._

"_It's up to me," he said. "I will change the future!"_

_Powering up, he charged right towards the waiting soldiers. Though they were surprised by the Saiyan's boldness, they reacted promptly, several of them firing off blasts of energy at him. Bardock altered his trajectory as the beams converged on him. The beams collided together but missed him entirely. Bardock was on them in a flash, attacking them fiercely. Grabbing one, he landed a few punches and kicks and then sent the unfortunate soldier crashing into a meteor floating nearby. A couple more rushed in to attack, only to be knocked aside by the enraged Saiyan. With them taken care of, Bardock continued towards Frieza's ship, only to be ambushed by another soldier. Bardock turned to deal with him, only to have another soldier grab him from behind. A second soldier rushed in and delivered a hard punch to Bardock's stomach, winding him. But something else happened..._

_(A vision suddenly flashed before his eyes! A Saiyan warrior wearing an orange gi appeared! And he was standing before Frieza, both of them on a planet he didn't recognize!)_

_Snapping back to reality, Bardock shook off his attackers, knocking them aside. It had happened again. Strange visions of the future had been plaguing him since his mission to Kanassa. That was how he had known about Frieza's plans and he had tried to warn the others. None had believed him, so he had taken it upon himself to face Frieza alone. However, one vision in particular had prompted him to ensure the safety of his youngest son, Kakarot. The vision had shown that one day, Kakarot would face Frieza and defeat him. Thus, he had sent his son off planet in a pod to a distant planet Frieza knew nothing about. With Kakarot secured, Bardock had then gone off to face the tyrant himself. The vision he had seen just a moment ago had been his son, all grown up and facing Frieza. Now more than ever, he knew his son may be the only hope the Saiyans had. But, Bardock was determined to at least try and see Frieza stopped here and now._

"_Frieza," he shouted. _

_Hovering just above the ship was the tyrant himself. He stared back at Bardock, an arrogant smile on his face._

"_Why the hell are you attacking us," Bardock demanded. _

"_So the legendary Super Saiyan has shown up," Frieza said. _

_Frieza's reply took Bardock by surprise! The Legendary Super Saiyan? Here?_

"_How very unsavory," Frieza continued._

_Suddenly..._

_(A different world appeared before him. Frieza now looked different. He was in a new form, and was also golden colored. The same arrogant smile he was so famous for was still on his face. Bardock stared in shock! When had he transformed? Then he noticed Frieza was staring past him. Turning, Bardock saw Kakarot. But, he too, looked different now. His hair was blue and a white-blue aura surrounded him. What was this power? A Super Saiyan?_

"_Allow me to continue my vengeance," Frieza said. _

_Preparing themselves, both Kakarot and Frieza then charged at each other, colliding with tremendous force!)_

_Bardock found himself back where he had been previously, in space above Planet Vegeta, facing Frieza. He had another vision of the future. But this one...This one had been different. He couldn't really explain why, but it just felt from the previous visions. Was this one even further in the future? Or was it an alternate future? Bardock shook his head. He had to make his move now! Drawing upon all of his power, he conjured up a ball of energy._

"_This will change everything," he said._

_Frieza merely smiled and raised his hand, conjuring up a large fiery orb of energy. Bardock tossed his energy attack at the smirking tyrant._

"_I'll show you some beautiful fireworks," Frieza said. _

_Then, with a casual flick of his finger, he sent the fiery orb towards Bardock and the planet. _

_Bardock's attack struck the oncoming Supernova, only to be absorbed into it._

"_What," Bardock exclaimed._

_The Supernova continued on it's trajectory, consuming everything in it's path. That included Frieza's soldiers who had not cleared the area yet. Bardock could only watch helplessly as the fiery energy descended upon him. He screamed in righteous anger as it struck. He found himself being carried along with it right towards Planet Vegeta. Was this really it? After everything he had tried to do, had it all been for nothing? No. It hadn't. There was still his son, Kakarot. He had seen it. His son was destined to face Frieza. But would he be strong enough to do so? Was his son destined to win...or fail?_

_Frieza watched with unbridled glee as his Supernova struck the planet. Cruel and amused laughter escaped from the Galactic Tyrant as he watched the planet crumble beneath the fiery orb of destruction. And with it also went the troublemaker himself. It wasn't long before the entire planet exploded in a magnificent display of light and fire. Amid the explosion, Frieza's laughter echoed mercilessly as he watched..._

?...

Within the glass vat of clear liquid, Bardock stirred, visions of past events going through his head. Frieza! He could still hear the tyrant's mocking laughter as the fiery energy had struck and destroyed him. But, wait! If he had been consumed by the Supernova, how was he dreaming? Was this the afterlife? No. Something had happened. He had survived somehow. But he couldn't remember how exactly. He vaguely recalled another place, little purple creatures, and someone resembling Frieza. And there were others! Faces he recognized and yet couldn't remember who they were. Four in particular: Someone from Frieza's race. A large red Namekian. A female Saiyan with fiery red hair. And a strange pink female alien. Who were they? What did they mean to him? Why couldn't he remember? His head throbbed painfully and he thrashed about in the liquid confines of the glass vat.

Standing outside the vat, Towa, denizen of the Demon Realm, watched Bardock convulse. A monitor on the vat showed his heart rate and pulse racing and his brain activity was also acting erratic. Towa made some adjustments to the machine and then stood back to observe. After a moment, Bardock calmed down and his vitals returned to normal.

"What were you dreaming about, Bardock," she said, breaking the silence. " Were you dreaming of the past? Perhaps the moment when you failed to stop Frieza from destroying your planet and your people? Well, don't worry. Once the reprogramming is complete, you won't remember a thing about your past. Or even who you are. I'll remake you and free you from your guilt and failure. Won't that be generous of me?"

Within the vat, Bardock slumbered peacefully, unaware of Towa, unable to respond to her words. And steadily, he soon began to forget just who he was as he slipped into oblivion...

_Age 852: Conton City-Two months later..._

It was hard to imagine just a two months ago, the very area was in ruins. Cloud, the Saiyan warrior and member of the Time Patrol, walked along the street, taking in the sights. He was on his way to the entrance of the Time Vault, having been called there by the Elder Kai. Cloud unconsciously rubbed his ear, which was still ringing from the shrill yelling of Elder Kai. He then placed his scouter back over his right ear. The scouters were a new thing the Supreme Kai of Time has issued to all the members of the Time Patrollers. They mostly acted as communicators but they could also be used for detecting power levels as well, much like the same scouters used by Frieza and his minions. These models, however, were much different. They could detect dormant power levels and were designed to register incredibly high power levels as well. They would certainly come in handy during missions.

It had been two months since the invasion on the Time Nest. An attack led by Towa and Mira, two powerful enemies from the Demon Realm. They had managed to infiltrate the Time Nest and had brought an army of villains from different time periods. The worst of them had been the giant Hirudegarn and the massive Janemba. While the Patrollers had won the battle, it had resulted in Toki Toki City being destroyed. Over the last two months, the city had been rebuilt and even redesigned. And with it's new look came a new name: Conton City.

The city had flourished and every day, people of various alien races arrived to live and work here alongside the Time Patrol. Currently, the main team included thirteen members, fourteen counting Trunks, with volunteer members standing by to help out in any way. Though at the moment, five of Cloud's team mates were currently away. After the city had been rebuilt and the Patrollers had had some time to recover from the battle, the Supreme Kai of Time had tasked Frost, Scarlet, Belias, Sorbet and Trunks to hunt down Towa and Mira and deal with them once and for all. While Cloud and the others had wanted to go along with them and help out, the Supreme Kai told them she needed able bodied fighters at the Time Nest to guard it and deal with any anomalies that occurred. So the current team roster was down to nine, which included him, Audrey, Aubrey, Luttice, Android #7, Berri, Hope, Nionn, and Kora.

Cloud felt sure that they would be more than enough to keep an eye on things. He felt especially confident due to the fact that during the two months after the attack, he and his fellow Saiyan warriors had undergone training with the angel, Colada, whom they had met during the invasion. Upon witnessing the power of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan from Goku and Vegeta, the five Saiyans were determined to learn how to harness that power themselves. Upon finding out that Goku and Vegeta had trained with Whis, the attendant of Lord Beerus, they had sought help from Colada, hoping that she might be willing to help them out. Surprisingly, she had agreed with much enthusiasm. So they had spent some time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber training with Colada. It hadn't been easy. The angel was a formidable opponent and tough teacher. Five Saiyans attacking her at once and not one of them had been able to land a single hit on her. What's more, her counter attacks had been pretty brutal and she certainly hadn't been pulling her punches. Even now, Cloud could still feel the phantom aches from his healed injuries. But their training had paid off and they had succeeded in obtaining the two levels of Super Saiyan God.

Even better, Colada had offered to train the other patrollers and help them reach new levels of power. Determined not to be caught unaware or powerless again, the Patrollers had taken her up on the offer and spent several days in the chamber training diligently. Upon emerging, they felt so much stronger and ready to face just about anything. It was then that the Supreme Kai had given Frost and his team their mission to go after Towa and Mira. That had been three weeks ago.

So, with Scarlet now able to use God Ki, as well as Frost having his new Golden Form, Cloud was certain the five members tracking Towa would be able to handle both her and Mira. Cloud frowned and silently berated himself. He had to remember that the two demons were not to be underestimated. Mira was a powerful foe, whose strength was constantly increasing. And Towa was a cunning and resourceful scientist capable of using powerful magic. They wouldn't go down so easily, even with the power of a Super Saiyan God on the team.

"Hey, Cloud!"

Cloud looked up to see who had called out to him. Swooping down from the sky was one of his team mates: Berri, the Majin. Cloud smiled and waved as Berri approached. Of all his fellow Patrollers, Cloud really liked Berri. With his sunny disposition and friendly smile, he was a likable person and easy to get along with, much like his sister Sorbet.

"Berri," Cloud greeted the Majin. "I take it you got a call from Elder Kai as well?"

"Yeah, I did," Berri replied. "Nearly deafened me. I think Elder Kai forgets just how loud he can be."

"No doubt the others will be along soon," Cloud said. "I imagine he got a hold of them, too."

"Here they come now," Berri said, pointing skyward.

Looking up, Cloud could make out seven figures approaching them. Soon they came into view and landed on the ground, joining the Saiyan warrior and Majin. Cloud took a moment to survey his team. While he had confidence in himself and his team, he wished Frost and the others were here. It just felt wrong not having them present. In Frost's absence, Cloud was acting leader of the team. Before he had left, Frost had asked Cloud if he would be willing to take on the burden of leadership while he was away. Cloud had been reluctant, not sure if he was worthy of such a role. But Frost had told him he had faith in Cloud's skills and decision making in battle. So, Cloud had agreed, determined not to let his team or Frost down.

"So, I'm guessing the old man called everyone else," Luttice said, looking around at the gathered patrollers.

"Nyan. More like shrieked at us," Kora said. "Does anyone know what this is about?"

"All I know, is that we're supposed to meet him at the entrance to the Time Nest," Cloud said. "Lets head over there and see what's going on."

The patrollers made their way towards an arch which stood above a set of stairs that led up to the building that would take them to the Time Nest where the Time Vault resided. As they neared their destination, they saw a short figure waiting at the bottom of the stairs. However, it wasn't the Elder Kai, but Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, master of the Time Nest. On the ground next to her was Toki Toki, a bird with yellow and white plumage and a long thin white beard. Cloud had always wondered just what the deal was with Toki Toki. He suspected there had to be something special about the bird.

Frost had told him once about the attack by Demigra and how fixated the Demon God had been on Toki Toki. Moreover, he had mentioned a scroll had appeared to him and his friends when they had been stuck in a blank void following Demigra's attack on the Time Vault. Frost had said just before he had blacked out after sustaining a terrible injury during the attack, he had seen the scroll on the floor and had heard Toki Toki's cry. That same scroll had allowed Frost and his friends to return to that point in time and stop Demigra. It only signified that there was indeed something special about Toki Toki. Sooner or later, Cloud would have to ask the Supreme Kai about him.

The Supreme Kai of Time smiled and waved at the approaching patrollers. "Hey, guys! Welcome!"

The Patrollers halted before her. Cloud looked around but saw no sign of Elder Kai.

"Um, Supreme Kai," Cloud spoke up. "Where is Elder Kai?"

"Yeah, he called us here," Nionn said. "Shouldn't he be here to meet us?"

"Good question," The Supreme Kai replied. "I thought he'd be here, too. Just after he contacted you, he rushed off. After that, I came here, assuming he'd be waiting for you guys."

"Typical," Nionn said. "He calls us here and he isn't even around to meet us."

"I suppose we'd better go find him," Audrey said. "But where do we even start looking?"

"I think I have a good idea where he is," Android #7 said. "Be right back."

She took took flight and flew off, leaving the gathered group to wait.

"So while we're waiting, Supreme Kai, what exactly is going on," Cloud asked.

"Has something happened," Aubrey asked. "Is it Frost and the others? Nothing's happened to them, has it?"

"Oh, please, tell us they're alright," Audrey said, worry tinging her voice.

"Calm down," The Supreme Kai said. "Frost and the others are doing just fine. I actually heard from Trunks yesterday. They haven't found Towa and Mira yet, but they're going to keep looking."

"Whew. That's a relief," Berri said. "We hadn't really heard from them in while, so we were a bit worried about them."

The Supreme Kai could well understand everyone's concern, some more than others. In Berri's case, he was worried about his sister, Sorbet, his one and only family member. Then there was Kora. Following the invasion by Towa, Scarlet had revealed that she and Kora were in fact lovers. So it stood to reason Kora was especially worried about Scarlet. And then there was Audrey. Over the last two months, she and Trunks had developed a bit of a relationship. She wasn't sure when or how it had happened, but somewhere along the way, they had gotten close. And they hadn't been the only ones. Just recently Aubrey had shown an interest in Nionn, the most recent person to join the Time Patrol. The female Saiyan had once been a part of the Galactic Patrol just like Scarlet, and while she was a great fighter, she wasn't exactly the friendliest person around. If she knew how Aubrey felt about her, she hadn't show any indication or interest. Still, Aubrey wasn't deterred in the slightest. He was determined to prove himself to her.

"Well, if our friends are alright, then what's the big emergency," Hope asked.

"The old man has a mission for you guys," The Supreme Kai said. "Though I think we'll let him explain once he gets here."

A few moments passed and then Android #7 returned. And she was carrying a struggling Elder Kai.

"Put me down," Elder Kai protested. "Just who do you think you are?"

Android #7 hovered a few feet in the air and unceremoniously dropped him. Elder Kai crashed to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Here he is," Android #7 said, landing. "And just as I thought, he was checking out the girls locker room at the Patroller Academy in the Business District. And it's not the first time I've caught him doing it."

"I was not," Elder Kai yelled indignantly. "I was merely inspecting the area and making sure everything was up to code."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Hope muttered.

"You're a disgusting old man, you know that," Nionn said. "Instead of meeting us here like you should have, you were off playing Peeping Tom!"

"Really, Elder," The Supreme Kai sighed in frustration. "You're hopeless. Anyway, everyone's here now, so lets get down to business."

"Yes, of course," Elder Kai said, dusting himself off. He then turned his attention to the Patrollers. "As you all know, Frost and his group are currently pursuing Towa and Mira. With a little luck, they should be able to catch up to them and defeat them once and for all. However, despite being on the run, Towa can still cause problems for us here. While it's been pretty quiet lately, I'm afraid our peace and quiet has come to an end. An anomaly has occurred in the Time Stream. Which means it's time for you slackers to get to work."

"Who's he calling slackers," Hope whispered to Luttice.

"So which time line is being affected, Supreme Kai," Berri asked.

"Lets head to the Time Vault and find out," The Supreme Kai replied.

Turning, she started climbing the staircase leading up to the gate to the Time Vault. The Patrollers followed after her, as did Elder Kai and Toki Toki.

It wasn't long before they were standing in the Time Vault. All around the room, there were shelves packed with scrolls. These scrolls were records of the past, present and future. If something was affecting a particular time period, the scroll to that point in time would be surrounded by a dark aura. In fact, laying on a large round stone pedestal was a scroll. And it was currently emanating dark energy.

"Here's our troublemaker," The Supreme Kai said. She grabbed the scroll and opened it up, gazing at it as it's blank surface suddenly revealed an image of what was transpiring. "Hmm. That's odd. This is the time when Goku and Piccolo fought against Raditz."

"Hold on," Aubrey spoke up. "Didn't Frost and the others already fix that time line?"

"Yes, they did," The Supreme Kai replied. "In fact, that was their very first mission as Time Patrollers. I wonder why this time period is being targeted again?"

"Hmm. Well, we know Towa is using the energy of these anomalies to strengthen Mira," Elder Kai surmised. "But even if she used her magic to make Raditz stronger, it still wouldn't amount to much. It is a bit strange that she would use this point in time."

"Strange or not, we still need to fix it," The Supreme Kai said. "Now, that being said, even with the enhancement of Towa's magic, Raditz won't be a match for any of you, therefore, I think we'll only need to send one Patroller to deal with this."

"If I may say so, Supreme Kai," Cloud said.

"Go ahead, Cloud. What's on your mind," The Supreme Kai replied.

"Well, I was just thinking about what you and Elder Kai said," Cloud explained. "If this time line has very little to offer Towa, why alter it at all? I know it has historical significance, but ultimately, it still wouldn't give Towa the energy she needs to strengthen Mira. I can only guess that there's one logical answer: It has to be a trap."

"You think Towa is trying to lure all of you into a trap," Elder Kai mused. "Hmm. Well, I certainly wouldn't put it past her to try something like that. An ambush wouldn't be out of the question, whether by her and Mira, or perhaps some unknown allies. She has utilized villains from different time lines before."

"So what do you suggest, Cloud," The Supreme Kai asked.

"I think at the very least we send two Patrollers," Cloud said. "One to deal with Raditz while the other acts as a lookout, and keeps an eye out for any trouble."

"Hmm. Not a bad idea," Elder Kai said.

"I agree," The Supreme Kai said. "We'll play it safe and send two Patrollers, just in case. Now, who would like to volunteer for this mission?"

"We'll do it, Supreme Kai," Aubrey spoke up, indicating himself and his sister.

"Audrey and Aubrey," The Supreme Kai said. "You two want to take this one?"

"We sure do, Supreme Kai," Audrey replied. "While my brother deals with Raditz, I'll be the lookout and keep an eye on things."

"My sister has the sharpest eyes I know," Aubrey said. "If there's anything out of place, she'll spot it."

The Supreme Kai nodded. "Alright, then. I'll leave this to you two. Take your scouters so we can keep in touch. Remember, they'll also let you pick up any power levels in the area, so keep an eye on the screen."

"Be cautious, you two," Elder Kai added. "If this is indeed a trap, you'll need to be on your guard at all times. If things get out of hand, don't hesitate to call for backup."

"And one more thing," The Supreme Kai said. "In order to fix this time line, Raditz must be defeated by Piccolo's attack. Weaken him as much as you can and then leave the rest to Goku and Piccolo. Also, don't forget that Goku is meant to die in this battle as well. Otherwise he'll never go to Other World and train with King Kai to prepare for his future battle with Vegeta. As long he's holding onto Raditz and keeping him in place long enough for Piccolo to strike the final blow, then everything will return to normal."

"Understood, Supreme Kai," Audrey said. "We'll do our best out there."

The Supreme Kai hand them the scroll. "Good luck, you two."

The twins took the scroll from her and placed their hands on it. The scroll began glowing and then they vanished in a flash of white light, plunging into the time stream and being sent into the past...

End of Chapter One...


	2. Chapter 2

Time Patrollers 2-Chapter Two

Raditz Redux! New Enemies?

_Age 761..._

A familiar scene was playing out: The Saiyan warrior, Raditz, stood before his brother, Goku and Piccolo. Both fighters had arrived to deal with the Saiyan and rescue Goku's son, Gohan. At the moment, Gohan was trapped in Raditz's space pod while Raditz dealt with his estranged brother and his ally. Goku charged at Raditz and the two flew across the area, exchanging blows. Despite his best efforts, Goku was getting overwhelmed by the much stronger Raditz. Off to the side, Piccolo was charging up his Ultimate Attack in the hopes that it would finish Raditz off.

Goku knew what Piccolo had planned, and for the moment, he had to keep his brother occupied and keep his attention off Piccolo. The element of surprise was their best bet in order to beat the Saiyan warrior. However, Raditz was proving to be more than Goku could handle. In a flash, he was knocked backwards by a vicious hit from Raditz, followed up by blast of ki energy. Goku flew backwards and crashed to the ground. Before he had a chance to recover, Raditz was suddenly in front of him. He grabbed Goku, hauling him up roughly and drew back his fist.

"Die," Raditz yelled, preparing to deliver the killing blow.

Goku could only watch helplessly, knowing there was no way to break out of Raditz's hold. Then, just when it seemed like it was all over...

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

Glancing away from Raditz, Goku saw Piccolo fire off his attack. The beam streaked towards Raditz at tremendous speed. Goku was sure that, despite his speed, Raditz would not be able to dodge in time. However, his hopes were soon shattered. The Saiyan warrior's eyes suddenly flashed red and a strange dark aura surrounded him. Then Raditz dodged the incoming beam, which missed him by a few inches. The beam struck the surrounding area and Raditz turned his attention towards Piccolo, firing off a blast of ki energy. The attack struck the weary Namekian.

"Piccolo," Goku called out to his ally.

Smirking, Raditz was about to finish Goku off when his scouter went off, registering a strong power level. A little too strong in fact! Confused by this reading, Raditz looked around, trying to locate the source of the reading. Up in the air, a bright light appeared. The light then dissipated and revealed a human. The human hovered for a second in the air and then suddenly crashed to the ground. Both Raditz and Goku stared in confusion. Who was this person?

"Ow! Smooth, Aubrey, real smooth," Aubrey chastised himself.

He stood up, brushing dirt off his clothes. Noticing the two Saiyans staring at him, he quickly regained his composure and then made his way over towards them. He stopped a few feet from Raditz, staring at the Saiyan warrior with confidence. Goku, meanwhile, climbed to his feet, determined to keep fighting. While he didn't know Aubrey, it was obvious to him he was an ally. Taking a moment, he checked on Piccolo and was relieved to see he was still alive, though looking a little worse for the wear. Though he didn't look any better himself.

"So who the hell are you," Raditz demanded, addressing the newcomer. "Another one of Kakarot's pathetic allies? You're just a human. If a Saiyan and a Namekian couldn't beat me, then what hope do you have?"

"I might just surprise ya, partner," Aubrey replied. He turned to Goku. "How ya holdin' up there, Goku?"

"I'm still managing," Goku said. "Hey, hold on a second. How did you know my name? Have we met before?"

"Not exactly," Aubrey said. "Lets just say I'm familiar with ya. All you need to know is that I'm here to help ya out."

Goku nodded. "That's good enough for me. Hey, Piccolo! Do you think you can manage another one of those attacks?"

"I think I can do it one more time," Piccolo replied. "But if we miss again, then that's it. You're going to have to keep him from dodging this time." He looked at Aubrey. "And you, I don't know who you are, but make sure to defend me until I'm ready, you got that?"

"Got it," Goku said. He turned to Aubrey. "Well, you heard him. You ready?"

"Lets do it," Aubrey said.

Both turned to Raditz, ready to battle him. The Saiyan warrior made the first move, sending two ki beams at them. Goku and Aubrey dodged the energy beams and took flight, Raditz following after them. He flew towards them, intent on finishing them off.

"No matter how much trash there is, it's still just trash," he yelled, attacking his opponents.

Aubrey blocked an attack and struck back, catching Raditz by surprise.

"You should never underestimate someone," Aubrey replied. "Or didn't your scouter show ya just how strong I am?"

"It was just a malfunction," Raditz said. "There's no way you could be that strong! Especially compared to a Saiyan! You'll die here along with my brother!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, partner," Aubrey smirked.

While the battle raged on, hiding out nearby, Audrey watched her brother and Goku fight Raditz. She turned her attention to Piccolo, who was in the process of charging up another Special Beam Cannon.

"So far, so good," she whispered.

"_Hello? Audrey? Can you hear me?"_

"Supreme Kai? Is that you," Audrey replied.

"_Ah, good." _This time it was Elder Kai's voice. _"It looks like the communicator is working just fine."_

"_Audrey," _the Supreme Kai broke in. _"How's everything going? Do you see anything suspicious?"_

"Nothin' yet," Audrey said. "Goku and Aubrey are fighting Raditz right now and Piccolo is readying his attack."

"_And there's no sign of anyone else," _Elder Kai asked.

"I don't see anyone," Audrey confirmed. She pressed the button on her scouter and four power levels appeared on the screen. "I'm only picking up Goku, Raditz, Aubrey and Piccolo." She scanned the surrounding area, checking to make sure there was nothing else. "Hmm. Nope, I don't see anything or anyone. Maybe there is no..."

Her scouter suddenly went off! Two new power levels had appeared on-screen!

"Hold that thought," she said. "I just picked up two other power levels!"

She flew up into the air and searched the area. Just as she was closing in on the spot where they had registered, the two power levels vanished from the scouter's screen.

"What happened," she said, pressing the button. "Did this thing stop working?"

"_What happened, Audrey," _Elder Kai asked.

"I detected two power levels just a minute ago," Audrey replied, scanning the area. "But they just disappeared. And I don't see anyone."

"_Is your scouter working properly," _The Supreme Kai asked.

"Everything's workin' just fine," she said. "I don't get it. Was someone else here and then they just left?"

_I wonder if it was Towa and Mira," _Elder Kai mused. _"Either they were there and decided to make themselves scarce or they've managed to hide themselves from the scouter."_

"_Stay on your guard and keep on eye on the battle," _The Supreme Kai spoke up. _"They may reappear and try something. Be ready to move in at a moment's notice."_

"Understood," Audrey said.

Giving the area one more thorough glance, she turned her attention back to the battle with Raditz. So far, it was still going alright and Piccolo was almost ready to use his attack. But despite this, she was on edge. Something could still happen and ruin everything. Audrey watched and waited...

While Audrey kept an eye on things, Aubrey was concentrating on Raditz. So far the battle was going alright. Just as The Supreme Kai had thought, despite the magical enhancement, the Saiyan was proving to be an easy opponent. And despite his injuries, Goku was still hanging in there and contributing his share of battle damage to Raditz. It was going smoothly...A little too smoothly.

"This has to be a trap of some kind," he muttered to himself. "There's no way Towa would make it this easy."

He caught a blast of ki from Raditz and redirected it away from him. The battle was starting to take a toll on him, Aubrey could tell. He was slowing down and even his attacks were nowhere near as strong as earlier. The same bluster and confidence he had shown before was now waning and he was getting desperate.

"This...this makes no sense," Raditz exclaimed. "How can you be this strong? The Saiyans are the mightiest warriors to exist!"

_If he only knew what else was lurking out there in the galaxy besides Saiyans and Frieza, _Aubrey thought.

"Look, Raditz," Goku said. "It doesn't have to be this way. Give Gohan back and then you can leave Earth and live to fight another day. Otherwise, it's not going to end well for you."

"Don't you patronize me, Kakarot," Raditz snarled. "I refuse to accept your pity!"

He charged at them with renewed vigor, anger stamped on his face. Aubrey sighed inwardly. Saiyans really were a stubborn race to deal with. Preparing himself, he met the Saiyan's charge head on. As he and Goku fended off Raditz, Aubrey took a second to check on Piccolo. According to his scouter, the Namekian's power was steadily rising, indicating his attack was almost ready. This battle would soon be over...hopefully.

Audrey took another look around the area, scanning with the scouter. Just as before, nothing showed up on the screen nor did she see anyone hiding nearby. That should have made her feel better, but it actually had the opposite effect. Despite the fact no one else was in sight, she still felt as if she was being watched, and that made her nervous. If someone really was out there, she wished they would just make their move and get it over with already. She turned back to the battle just in time to see Raditz go crashing to the ground after taking a hit from both Aubrey and Goku. This was it! The battle was about to end. If someone was sneaking around, then this would be the time to spring a trap. She got ready to move in just in case...

Raditz hauled himself to his feet, barely able to stand up. How had things gone so bad? He should have been able to beat Kakarot with no problem, and yet his brother had managed to hold his own against him, though just barely. And just who was that Earthling that had appeared out of nowhere? He was strong, stronger than Raditz would ever have expected from the inhabitants of this planet. What's more, Raditz suspected that the mystery fighter had actually been holding back his full strength! It just didn't make any sense! Maybe he should have left when he had the chance. Maybe there was still chance to get out of this. If he acted quickly enough, he might be able to get to his pod...

Suddenly, Goku was behind him. He grabbed Raditz and held him in place with his remaining strength.

"Piccolo! Now! Do it," Goku yelled.

Raditz realized with horror what was about to happen! He turned to see the Namekian had his attack fully charged up and was about to unleash it on him. Raditz struggled in Goku's grasp but found he was too weakened from the battle to break free. He was now on the edge of panic and tried a different ploy.

"Wait, Kakarot," he said. "If you do this you'll die, too! Look, I'll do as you ask! I'll leave here and never return! I give you my word!"

"Nice try," Goku replied. "But I'm not falling for it!"

Raditz couldn't believe what he was hearing! His own brother was actually willing to die to stop him? What kind of Saiyan would ever think about doing something so foolish?

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON," Piccolo shouted, firing off his attack.

This time the beam connected with it's intended target. Raditz gasped in agony as the beam struck and passed through him and then Goku. Both Saiyans were sent flying backwards, fatally wounded.

"D...Damn it," Raditz shouted his last words as he collapsed to the ground.

Goku merely smiled. He had done what he needed to do. His son was safe and Raditz had been stopped. That was good enough for him...

Piccolo stood there, gasping for breath. That attack had drained him of his last bit of power and now he was exhausted. But at least the battle was over. Not only was Raditz dead, but he had actually succeeded in killing Goku. And yet, it felt like a hollow victory. Despite their history, Piccolo respected Goku as a warrior. He walked over to the two fallen Saiyans, gazing down at Raditz.

"Serves you right," he spat contemptuously. Then he looked up and noticed the human fighter that had helped them was nowhere in sight. "What was that? Where did...?"

Keeping out of sight, Aubrey joined up with his sister.

"Hey, sis," he greeted her. "Anything happen during the fight?"

"Well, apart from a brief reading earlier, nothing happened," Audrey said. "I swear, though, it felt like someone was watching me. And it still feels like I'm being watched."

Aubrey looked around, but saw no one. Yet he couldn't help but agree with his sister. It did feel like they were being observed.

"Maybe I'm just imagining it," Audrey said, though she didn't sound all that convinced.

"Well, everything's back on track here," Aubrey said. "Guess it wasn't a trap after all. Come on, sis. Lets head back to the Time Nest."

Audrey nodded and then they both disappeared in a flash of light...

What the twins didn't realize was that they were indeed being watched. Standing on a hill overlooking the battle field, stood two figures: one was another Saiyan who looked like a darker version of Goku. His companion was a hulking Namekian with a scar over his eye. They were Turles and Lord Slug, two of history's most notorious villains, and currently allies of Towa. They had been watching the battle and observing the two Time Patrollers.

"Hmph. That was pathetic," Slug rumbled. "I thought you Saiyans were supposed to be tougher than that."

"Keep in mind that Raditz is pretty weak by Saiyan standards," Turles replied. "Not only that, but that Time Patroller was way stronger than him by a great margin. With Kakarot helping him, it was inevitable Raditz would fall."

"Why did Towa even bother with this time line anyway," Slug asked. "What was the point?"

"Who knows," Turles said. "I'm sure she had her reasons. Perhaps it was to keep those Patrollers occupied."

"Those two didn't look all that tough to me," Slug said. "We could have destroyed them ourselves."

"Maybe," Turles said. "But we probably shouldn't underestimate them. After all, Towa regards them with caution. And lets not forget we only saw two Patrollers and not the whole team. From what we were told, they're pretty formidable fighters. For now, we should wait and follow Towa's plan."

"I don't like taking orders from anyone," Slug said. "I still don't see why we're going along with this."

"Remember what we were promised, Slug," Turles reminded him. "Are you willing to give up an opportunity for power and revenge?"

Slug remained silent. As much as he hated to admit it, Turles was right. With the promise of great power and the chance of getting revenge on Goku, he really couldn't pass it up, even if it meant following someone else's orders.

"Fine," he said. "But I don't have to like it."

"Fair enough," Turles replied. "I'm not too fond of this setup myself, but for now, we'll comply. It will all be worth it in the end. Anyway, the battle's over, so we may as well leave."

Turning, they walked away and then disappeared from sight. However, much like the twins, Turles and Slug were also being watched. Hovering high in the air over the very spot where they had stood was a figure clad in black and wearing an opaque helmet. He had been observing them as well as the battle with Raditz. Now that the battle was over and the two villains had departed, he, too, took his leave...

_The Time Nest..._

The gathered Patrollers watched as the scroll on the pedestal lost the dark aura, signifying the twins had been successful. The Supreme Kai of Time picked up the scroll and returned it to it's place on the shelf.

"And that takes care of that," she said.

Just as she was making her way back to the pedestal, Audrey and Aubrey appeared before them.

"Welcome back, you two," The Supreme Kai greeted them. "Good job out there."

"That was some handy work," Elder Kai complimented Aubrey. "And those moves weren't half bad either. Except for your entrance."

Aubrey slumped dejectedly. "Aww, why'd ya have to remind me about that, Elder Kai?"

"Well, your entrance aside, you still did good out there," Elder Kai said. "Goku and Piccolo would surely have been defeated if you hadn't stepped in and saved them." He turned to Audrey. "And, of course, we can't forget about your diligent reconnaissance, Audrey. I'm certain your brother was able to concentrate better knowing you were watching his back out there. Things went smoothly this time, but I'm sure the battles later on will get intense."

"I'm just relieved nothing untoward happened during this mission," Cloud spoke up. "It seems my theory about a trap was wrong."

"Even if there was no trap, it was still a wise idea to send Audrey in as back-up just in case," The Supreme Kai said. "Besides, there was the matter of those two power levels she picked up."

"Oh, yeah," Berri said. "Did you find out who it was, Audrey?"

"Afraid not," Audrey replied. "At first I thought maybe the scouter wasn't working right, but even when I didn't see anyone, it still felt like someone was watching me."

"Yeah, I kinda got that feeling, too, after the battle," Aubrey added. "We may not have been the only ones out there, Supreme Kai. Do you think maybe it was Towa and Mira?"

"It's possible," The Supreme Kai said. "Still, I would think they would be busy with more important matters than overseeing the time period with Raditz. Towa knows that period wouldn't give her much in the way of energy. My guess is she was just using this to divert our attention away from something else. Or, maybe she was just toying with us."

"Whatever the reason," Elder Kai spoke up. "Those two won't have much of a chance to stop and admire their handiwork. Don't forget Frost and the others are currently pursuing them. I imagine they'll want to stay on the move to keep ahead of our friends."

"Well, if it wasn't Towa and Mira, then who," Hope asked. "Some other enemies we're unaware of?"

"That's another possibility," The Supreme Kai said. "After all, Towa has used other villains before. The attack on the Time Nest two months ago is proof of that. And there certainly are a lot of other enemies out there she could utilize. All I can say is, from here on out, we'd best stay on guard and expect the unexpected."

"But if there were others there, then how come Audrey couldn't see them or pick them up on the scouter," Luttice asked. "You said these things can even pick up dormant power levels."

"Keep in mind these are still in the testing phase, Luttice," Elder Kai said. "We may not have all of the bugs worked out just yet. At the very least, our biggest concern was the communicators themselves. Chronoa and I felt proper communication between us and all of you should be our top priority."

"Granted, but that still doesn't explain how Audrey couldn't see the mystery watchers," Android #7 pointed out. "The scouter might have failed, but I'm pretty sure her eyes were working just fine."

"Who knows," Elder Kai said. "Perhaps Towa has some new spell to keep her and her allies shielded from sight."

"It's a possibility," The Supreme Kai said. "Towa is very skilled with magic. I wouldn't be surprised if she's been looking for ways to keep herself hidden from us. Especially with Frost's team currently tracking her and Mira."

"It hardly matters," Nionn broke in. "We know someone was there, and if they are working for Towa and Mira, chances are they'll reveal themselves soon enough. And when they do, we take them down hard."

"She's right," Cloud agreed. "We'll just have to do as you said, Supreme Kai, and stay on guard. Sooner or later, our enemies will slip up and then we'll deal with them."

"I suppose that will have to do," The Supreme Kai said. "Anyway, nothing's going on right now, so you guys can take off. We'll call if anything comes up."

Nodding, the Patrollers took their leave and exited the Vault. After they were gone, The Supreme Kai turned to Elder Kai.

"Well, what do you think, Elder," she asked.

"It's difficult to say, Chronoa," Elder Kai replied. "I was watching them very carefully, but I didn't notice anything unusual in their expressions."

"Neither did I," The Supreme Kai said. She sighed wearily. "It's been two months since Lord Schnapps warned us of a possible traitor in our group, and in all that time we haven't seen or heard anything suspicious to confirm it."

"Unfortunately, we can't keep an eye on all of them every single moment, Chronoa," Elder Kai pointed out. "There's only two of us and nine of them."

Toki Toki squawked indignantly, flapping his wings.

"Alright, alright, three of us," Elder Kai said. "Sorry. I didn't realize you were helping out with this, too. Anyway, Chronoa, maybe we need to consider the fact that Lord Schnapps might have been wrong after all."

"I'd like nothing more than to think that," The Supreme Kai replied. "But we can't overlook the fact that a Time Breaker stone was brought here by someone who could access the Time Nest. Lord Schnapps was right about one thing: It didn't get here by itself. Someone used it inside the Time Nest and shattered the barrier, allowing Towa to invade. As much as I hate to admit it, we may very well have an untrustworthy Patroller on our hands."

"I still think it would be easier to just question everyone," Elder Kai said. "Maybe if we press hard enough, the spy might get nervous and slip up."

"We already went through this," The Supreme Kai said. "If we did that, that would just cause mistrust and doubt among the Patrollers. Not only that, they might get angry at the fact that we even suspected one of them being a traitor. And consider this: The spy, if there is one, might not crack under pressure. They may have undergone intense training and even torturous interrogation methods to properly prepare themselves in case they were questioned. If that were the case, the only thing we'd be doing is alerting them and they'd really be on their guard. Or they might flee or do something drastic."

Elder Kai sighed. "Well, when you put it that way, I suppose you're right. I guess we'll just have to continue like we've been doing and just watch for anything out of the ordinary. Lets just hope we get some answers soon, though. Remember Lord Schnapps's ultimatum. If we can't uncover the spy ourselves..."

"I know," The Supreme Kai replied. "He'll just destroy all the Patrollers, including the spy, and be done with it. But it's not going to come to that! Not if I have anything to say about it! If there is a spy, we'll find him, or her."

Elder Kai nodded. "That's the spirit, Chronoa. We won't give up. For the sake of our Patrollers, our friends."

Toki Toki trilled in agreement. Suddenly, without warning, one of the scrolls became infused with darkness.

"Great," The Supreme Kai growled. "Looks like our search will have to wait. We've got another change in history to deal with. Better call the team back, Elder. I'll check the scroll and see what's going on."

"I'm on it," Elder Kai said, activating the communicator.

"Lets just hope it's nothing serious," The Supreme Kai said, grabbing the scroll.

_Towa's Lab..._

"So, how is he doing, Towa," Mira asked, studying Bardock. The Saiyan was floating in the glass vat, eyes closed.

"The process is just about complete, Mira," Towa replied. "Soon he'll be ready for action." She picked up a mask with the Time Breakers symbol on it. "And this will ensure he stays under my control."

"Why do you need that mask to control him," Mira asked. "Didn't you erase his memories?"

"Not exactly," Towa said. "More like suppressed them. They're buried deep in Bardock's mind, slumbering just as he is. As long as he's wearing this mask, my spell will remain in place and he'll obey my orders."

"I still don't see why we captured him," Mira said. "What value is he to us? We already have a Saiyan working for us, do we not?"

"Turles is strong," Towa said. "But he has very little potential. Not like Bardock. For starters, he has already managed to achieve Super Saiyan. Imagine how much stronger he will get under the right circumstances. After all, he is the father of Goku. And we've seen how strong he is."

"You think Bardock could become as strong as Goku," Mira asked. "Maybe even stronger?"

"That's hard to say," Towa replied. "Goku's power is unpredictable, erratic. Just when it seems like he can't achieve anymore levels of strength and power, he somehow succeeds in defying the odds. Bardock could very well achieve those same levels, but, ultimately, I don't believe he could ever truly surpass Goku. Apart from Lord Beerus, I doubt there is anyone out there who could. At least in this universe. Of course, once I get you up to full power, Mira, you could probably surpass Goku."

"I look forward to it," Mira said.

"Sorry to interrupt this conversation, but we've got a problem."

Both Towa and Mira turned to see X entering the room. He halted in front of Towa, and while his face was hidden behind the opaque helmet, Towa could sense his gaze was fixed on her.

"What seems to be the problem, X," Towa asked.

"Turles and Slug," X replied.

"What about them," Mira spoke up.

"Well, it seems those two decided to sneak off," X answered. "I tracked them to the time period where Goku and Piccolo fought Raditz, but they took off from there before I had a chance to approach them."

"Those two," Towa growled. "I guess it shouldn't surprise me that much. Turles is an insolent rebel, and Slug is a stubborn brute. We'll need to find them and get them under control before they mess things up."

"I will track them down," Mira said.

"And I'll tag along," X said.

"Actually, X, I have a different job for you," Towa interrupted. "I need you to go to the next designated Time Line I picked out and run some interference with the Time Patrol."

"Really? Well, sounds good to me," X said. "I've been looking forward to slugging it out with those losers. But what about our wayward allies?"

"Leave that to Mira," Towa said. "He'll find them." She turned to Mira. "Be careful out there, Mira. Don't forget some of our enemies are looking for us."

"If they find me, I will make them regret it," Mira replied. "But in the meantime, I will hunt down Turles and Slug."

Both X and Mira turned and exited the lab. Once they were gone, Towa turned her attention back to Bardock.

"It seems we'll be needing you a lot sooner, Bardock," she said, holding up the mask. "At least you will obey me once the reprogramming is complete."

Inside the vat, Bardock remained motionless, unaware of what was waiting for him.

End of Part Two...


	3. Chapter 3

Time Patrollers 2: Chapter Three

Return of the Saiyans! Turles and X Arrive!

Outside the Time Vault, the Patrollers were discussing the recent mission that had occurred, trying to figure things out.

"I still don't get why Towa chose this particular time line," Cloud mused. "It just doesn't make any sense. I felt certain it had to be a trap."

"Well, I'm positive someone else was there," Audrey said. "Possibly two people. How they managed to hide themselves though...Maybe it was Towa and Mira. Those two are pretty good at hiding."

"I guess it doesn't really matter now," Android #7 said. "The mission's complete and everything went smoothly."

"And that bothers me," Cloud said. "This was way too easy. That would have been the perfect opportunity to try something and catch us off guard. So why didn't anything happen? Why Towa just sit back and do nothing?"

"Who knows," Aubrey replied. "That witch likes playing games with people. Maybe she's just trying to get us on edge, ya know, psyche us out."

"Nyan. For all we know it probably wasn't Towa and Mira," Kora said. "It's possible it could have been someone else."

"Like some new allies," Hope asked. "Well, Aubrey did bring that up and the Supreme Kai certainly felt it was a possibility. The question is: Who exactly? What other villains are there in the past?"

"I've taken the liberty of checking on that," Android #7 said. "And from what I've seen, Towa still has quite a selection, both from the main Time Line and from alternate lines as well. Though if anything, most of the villains she used were from alternate lines. Guys we've fought on our patrols, like Frieza and Cell, come from the Main Time Line, while some, like Dr. Wheelo and Hirudegarn come from the alternate lines. It's scary to think so many threats exist. And we haven't even encountered all of them."

"And there is something else to consider," Berri spoke up. "What if Towa gets help from people we're not expecting from any of these Time Lines? Someone not even associated with Goku and his friends?"

"Hmm. I hadn't considered that," Cloud said. "It's a vast universe. There could very well be individuals out there that we know nothing about. People that Towa could manipulate and coerce to her side."

"There are quite a lot of dangerous criminals out there," Nionn pointed out. "Back when I was with the Galactic Patrol, I saw many lists and warrants for criminals charged with thievery, destruction, murder, weapons dealing, just to name a few. Those would be the kind of people Towa could use, especially if she promised them money and power. I doubt most of them would be a problem for us, but...There are some that are particularly bad."

Just then, everyone's communicators went off: _"Hey! We need you guys back here at the vault! Pronto!"_

Everyone winced at the shrieking voice of the Elder Kai.

"Damn it, old man," Nionn snapped. "Are you trying to deafen us? We're right outside the vault! Give us a minute and we'll be right in!" She tapped the button cutting off the transmission. "Geez! That guy!"

"Lets go, everyone," Cloud said. "It seems we've got a new mission already."

"Guess Towa's not wasting any time, is she," Hope said, as they jogged up the stairs toward the vault doors.

Upon entering the vault, the team gathered around the Pedestal where The Supreme Kai and Elder Kai stood. Sitting on the flat surface was another scroll, glowing with dark energy.

"What's happening, Supreme Kai," Cloud asked. "Which Time Line is being effected now?"

"It's the time when Vegeta and Nappa arrived on Earth," The Supreme Kai explained.

"Hold on," Hope said. "Frost and the others took care of that one, too, right?"

"That's right," The Supreme Kai said. "And once again, it's being altered."

"So Towa's targeting another previously fixed Time Period," Cloud mused. "Why? What is the point? Granted Nappa and Vegeta are much worse compared to Raditz, but given our current levels, we could easily best them. Towa knows this but yet she's still going through with it? Something is definitely wrong here."

"If I remember correctly, there were some other enemies present at that battle," Android #7 spoke up. "The Saibamen. And, I seem to recall at one point, Vegeta transforms into an Oozaru, or Great Ape. Still, even if that's the case this time around, it shouldn't be a problem for us. I'm with Cloud. This is a little suspicious."

"Well, regardless, we still have to look into it," Elder Kai said. "Now just like before, I don't think it will be necessary to send all of you there. A select few should suffice."

"This time, we'll go," Cloud said, indicating himself, as well as Hope, Luttice and Nionn. "Saiyans vs. Saiyans. We'll help stop Vegeta and Nappa."

"Sounds good to me," Luttice said. "I've been itching for some action."

"You and me both, brother," Hope said.

"Alright, then," The Supreme Kai said. "You four will go. Just remember, Vegeta has to survive this battle. And...unfortunately, Yamcha, Tien, Chaotzu, and Piccolo must perish. So that means you can't interfere and save them when the time comes."

Cloud nodded. He understood that perfectly, but it still didn't sit well with him.

"Alright, lets go," Cloud addressed his team.

"Watch your backs out there guys," Berri cautioned. "Towa might not have sprung a trap last time, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen this time."

"We'll be our on guard, Berri," Cloud assured him.

The four Saiyans gathered around the pedestal and placed their hands on the scroll. White light surrounded them and then, they vanished...

_Age 762..._

The area was a vast rocky canyon filled with stone pillars and mountains. Standing on the ground were the warriors of Earth: Piccolo, Gohan, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chaotzu. Across from them stood the menacing Saiyan warriors: Nappa and Vegeta. At the moment, the two sides were squaring off, with Nappa stepping up to fight, while Vegeta stood back and watched. Needless to say, the Earth warriors were nervous and on edge. They had no idea just how powerful their foes were and despite their training, they felt they didn't stand a chance. Practically everyone present wished Goku were there to help out.

As Nappa approached, there was a sudden flash of white light. Immediately, all eyes were on this strange occurrence, the fight momentarily forgotten. The light faded and four people stood on the battlefield alongside the Earth warriors. Three were men and the other was a woman. Nappa's eyes widened in shock when he noticed all four had tails. They were Saiyans!

"Vegeta," he called back to his companion. "You seeing this? Saiyans! All four of them!"

Vegeta had noticed and was just as surprised as Nappa. Where had these four come from? And why were they here?

"Um, please, tell me you guys are here to help us," Krillin spoke up nervously.

"As a matter of fact, we are," Cloud replied.

"R-Really," Krillin said, surprised by the answer.

"We'll help buy some time until your friend Goku arrives," Nionn said.

"Can we trust you," Tien asked. "No offense, but we don't even know who you are. And you are Saiyans just like those two." He gestured towards Nappa and Vegeta.

"We may be Saiyans," Hope said. "But we're nothing like them. I know it's asking a lot for you to trust us, but I promise we are on your side. And we'll prove it by beating the crap out of those two."

"We don't really have a choice, Tien," Piccolo said. "Right now we should take whatever help we can get. Hopefully Goku will arrive soon."

"I think we can trust them," Gohan said. "I don't know why, but I just have this feeling they really are here to help us."

Everyone nodded and then took up fighting stances, the four Saiyans joining them. Nappa could only stare in surprise! His own fellow Saiyans were siding with the Earthlings?

"Just what the hell is this," Nappa demanded. "You four are actually going to fight me? You should be fighting alongside me and Vegeta, as real Saiyan warriors would!"

"How about you just shut up and fight," Luttice said. "We're not interested in joining you."

"Wha...Why, you," Nappa snarled.

"Nappa," Vegeta called out. "Just deal with them! If they want to betray their Saiyan heritage by siding with these Earthlings, then they can die for it!"

Nappa nodded. "Got it, Vegeta." He turned back to the gathered group, a malicious grin on his face. Suddenly his eyes flashed red and dark energy surrounded him. "Well, you heard him. Guess you're going to die along with the rest of these losers."

"We might surprise you," Hope said.

As they prepared to fight, Cloud scanned the area, looking for anything suspicious. Then he suddenly realized something!

"Hold on," he said. "Where are the Saibamen? Android #7 said they were a part of this battle, too. So where are they?"

"Maybe Piccolo and the others already beat them," Hope suggested.

"But wasn't Yamcha..." Cloud began. However, his thoughts were cut short when Nappa charged at them. Pushing his musings aside, Cloud moved in as well to meet the massive Saiyan head-on.

With the four of them, as well as the six Earth warriors, they had Nappa vastly outnumbered. And, technically out powered, too. However, knowing how this scenario was meant to play out, Cloud and his fellow Saiyans had agreed they would hold back just enough to keep the battle going until the designated warriors met their end at the hands of Nappa. He hated having to think like that, but it had to be done. And so, they engaged Nappa in battle, holding back their full strength just enough to deal minor injuries to Nappa but not enough to knock him out entirely. Still, as they fought, something kept nagging at Cloud's thoughts: The absence of the Saibamen for one, and the fact that they were supposed to be the ones who killed Yamcha.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, high atop a stone pillar, X watched the battle unfold before him. The four Saiyan Patrollers, along with the Earth fighters, were currently facing off against Nappa. It was clear to X as he watched that the Patrollers were actually pulling their punches. And he knew why. Three of those Earthlings were supposed to die at Nappa's hands. And they couldn't very well finish Nappa off until that happened.

"What a conundrum," X mused. "They try to save them, yet they also have to let them die. And die they shall. It is inevitable. But there's still that one Earthling. He dies differently from the others. Oh, well, I guess it doesn't matter as long as he dies. Of course, it is a little unfair that Nappa's outnumbered. I suppose I should help even the odds."

Reaching into his coat pocket, X withdrew a small bag. Inside were black seeds that had thin wisps of dark energy wafting off them. Earlier, Towa had managed to procure the bag of Saibamen seeds and had brought them back to her lab where she had worked her magic on them. She had then given him the bag and told him what needed to be done. X jumped off the stone pillar and landed on the ground. Stooping down, he planted the seeds in the soil and then took out a bottle. Unstoppering it, he proceeded to pour a dark liquid from the bottle on the spots where the seeds had been planted. The liquid seeped into the ground and soon soaked the seeds. X stood and backed up a few steps. The effect was instantaneous. The ground surged and Saibamen erupted from the soil. However, these Saibamen were different compared to the originals. These were black, with silver-grey coloring and glowing red eyes and red tipped claws and wisps of dark energy pouring off them. The dark Saibamen gibbered and then the group turned to X, awaiting orders.

"Those are your enemies," he said, pointing out the four Saiyan warriors. "Deal with them. Keep them occupied while Nappa slaughters all of the Earthlings. And then, feel free to kill the Patrollers afterwards. Now, go."

Laughing manically, the dark Saibamen turned and flew off towards the unsuspecting fighters. X leaned back against the rock face, arms crossed, and watched the chaos about to unfold.

Back at the battle with Nappa, Cloud was getting a bit frustrated. The battle was dragging out longer than he had hoped for. By all accounts they should have had the large Saiyan defeated, but they couldn't due to the fact that four of Earth's defenders had to perish in this battle to correct history. And so far, everyone was still alive, meaning the Patrollers had to hold back and not finish him off. Cloud briefly wondered if Frost and the others had gone through this their first time through.

"Cloud," Hope said. "This isn't going as well as I thought it would. I mean, I hate to sound callous here, but shouldn't Piccolo and the other three be dead by now?"

"If I remember correctly, Yamcha was the first causality," Cloud answered. "Though that was supposed to be by the Saibamen."

"Yeah, and that's something else, too," Hope said. "Just where are the Saibamen?"

Cloud was about to reply when his scouter suddenly went off. The screen showed a dozen power levels heading towards them.

"What the," Cloud said.

He turned around and stared in shock at what he saw! At least a dozen Saibamen were flying towards them! The other Patrollers noticed the incoming enemies and could only stare in surprise at their sudden appearance.

"Well, I guess that answers my question," Hope said.

"Where the hell did they come from," Nionn exclaimed. "I didn't see them earlier!"

"They are supposed to be here," Luttice pointed out. "Better late than never, I guess."

"Something's wrong," Cloud said, studying the incoming Saibamen. "Aren't they supposed to be green? These ones are black. And I sense something...unusual about them."

"Why are they only showing up now," Hope asked. "They were supposed to be here before Piccolo and the others fought Nappa."

"Who cares? They're here now," Luttice said. "We can deal with them while the others fight Nappa. This way, history can still play out like it's supposed to."

Reluctantly, Cloud had to agree. While they fought the Saibamen, Piccolo and his team could focus on Nappa, and no doubt, during that battle, the ones who were supposed to perish would. God, how he hated thinking that way!

"Alright, we deal with the Saibamen," Cloud said. "But don't take them out too quickly. Otherwise we're right back where we started."

The Patrollers readied themselves for their new opponents. The Saibamen charged at them, crazed grins on their faces. Cloud intercepted one and was surprised when it struck a pretty fierce blow that caught him off guard. He struck back, engaging his smaller foe in battle. The others found themselves being attacked by the other Saibamen, and like Cloud, found them to be stronger than they were originally expecting.

One Saibaman flew at Nionn. It's head then split open and a stream of steaming liquid shot out at her. Nionn managed to dodge the attack, but a small droplet landed on her clothes. Instantly, it started smoking and left a small hole on her shirt. The Saibaman then attacked, raking at her viciously with it's claws. Nionn countered it, lashing out with a fierce kick. She reeled as another Saibaman attacked her from behind, surprising her. She wheeled around to face it just as it attacked again.

"Man, what's with these things," Nionn yelled, fending off the Saibaman. "Are they supposed to be this strong?"

"This has to be Towa's doing," Cloud replied. "She's enhanced them with her magic! And it looks like this is a particularly strong spell!"

Three Saibamen had surrounded Luttice and now converged on him. He countered several strikes from two while managing to dodge attacks from the third one. Powering up, he released a burst of ki, scattering his foes in different directions, allowing him a moment to breathe. Turning, he saw Hope under attack by three other Saibamen. He raised his hand and blasted one of the plant creatures, knocking it from the sky. Hope slammed his fist into one Saibaman and then grabbed the other and tossed him away, blasting him in the process.

"Thanks, Luttice," he called out. Then, "Hey! Watch out!"

Luttice turned in time to see the three Saibamen he had knocked out had recovered and were heading his way again for another round.

"Persistent little bastards," he snarled, readying himself.

Down on the ground, the fight had come to a halt once again as everyone stared up at the second battle going on.

"Nappa! Did you plant those Saibamen," Vegeta asked.

"It wasn't me, Vegeta," Nappa replied. He held up a small bottle. "See? I still have the ones we brought with us."

"Well, then where did those come from," Vegeta demanded. "And why are they black? I've never seen them that color before!"

"I...I don't know, Vegeta," Nappa said, just as confused. "But at least they're attacking those four Saiyans."

Vegeta nodded. "True. I guess it doesn't matter where they came from. If they're keeping them occupied, then we can deal with the Earthlings. Go on, Nappa. Finish them off."

"Right," Nappa said, turning back to his remaining opponents.

Unaware of the two Saiyans conversation, the Earth team were still watching the battle with the Saibamen.

"Just what are those things," Tien wondered. "And where did they come from?"

"Who cares," Yamcha said. "We need to get over there and help those guys!" He charged towards the four Saiyans and the Saibamen.

"Yamcha, wait," Piccolo yelled. "We don't know what those things are capable of!"

However, Yamcha ignored him. He flew straight towards a single Saibamen and threw a punch at it...only to have the Saibaman catch the punch with blinding speed. Yamcha stared in shock and then winced as the Saibaman's claw began crushing his fist. Then a maniacal grin slowly spread across the plant creature's face. Without warning, it latched onto Yamcha and began glowing. Then there was a massive explosion! When the smoke cleared, Yamcha was on the ground, dead, the Saibaman reduced to smoldering pieces. The first death of the fight had occurred.

"Yamcha," Krillin shouted, horrified at what had just happened to his friend.

"Damn it," Piccolo raged. "I told him not to go charging in so recklessly! Forget those things for now! We concentrate everything on Nappa!"

"But...what about those other Saiyans," Gohan asked.

"They're going to have to fend for themselves," Piccolo said. "We can't afford to split our forces right now. Besides, they seem pretty strong. I imagine they can handle those creatures. Right now, we need to focus on our own fight."

Reluctantly, Gohan returned his attention to the hulking Saiyan before them.

"Too bad about your friend," Nappa mocked. "But I guess he got off easy. The same won't be said about you guys."

With that, he attacked!

While the remaining Earthlings dealt with Nappa, Cloud and his Saiyan companions continued their own battle against the Saibamen. Cloud spared a glance at the charred remains of Yamcha. It had been reckless of him to attack an unknown enemy like that, but he couldn't deny it had been brave of him to try and help them out.

_We could have prevented this, _he thought. But he immediately pushed that thought away. They couldn't alter history.

"Well, I hate to say it," Hope said. "But...that's one. And now that they're fighting Nappa, things should play out normally."

"God, I hate this," Nionn said, landing a savage punch on a Saibaman. "It sucks we have to hold back and it sucks even more that we have to stand by and let them die!"

"Believe me, I understand, Nionn," Cloud said, blasting a Saibaman away. "But unfortunately, in order to fix this time line, they have to perish. Otherwise there would be no need to go to Namek. And Goku would never defeat Frieza or even become a Super Saiyan. Not only that, but remember why Frieza was on Namek in the first place."

"That's right. The Dragon Balls," Luttice said. "He wanted immortality. If no one's there to stop him, he would succeed in getting his wish and then he would be unstoppable."

"Bad as it sounds, the deaths of Piccolo and the others are the catalyst that lead up to major events in history," Cloud said. "And remember, they are wished back to life later."

"Maybe," Nionn conceded. "But I still hate this!"

Suddenly, their scouters went off again.

"Now what," Hope asked. "Don't tell me we're about to get another surprise!"

"No, I recognize that power level," Cloud said. "It's Goku!"

"Oh, yeah. This is about the time when he was supposed to show up," Hope said.

"Hold on! What's that," Nionn said, as her scouter beeped a second time.

Cloud studied the reading on his own scouter. Another power level had appeared and was moving in towards Goku.

"What is that," Luttice asked. "Is someone else here, too?"

"There shouldn't be anyone else here," Cloud said. "Whoever it is, I can sense an evil presence. Who could...Of course! Towa must have sent in someone to intercept Goku!"

"If Goku doesn't make it to this battle, then history will really be screwed up," Nionn said.

"We need to get over there and help him," Hope said.

"One problem," Luttice said. "We still have these Saibamen to deal with. We can't just leave them unattended. They might gang up on Piccolo and his team."

Cloud growled in frustration. "Looks like Towa decided to spring a trap on us after all! Damn it! What do we do?"

"_Cloud! Do you read me," _The Supreme Kai's voice came in over the communicator. "_Don't worry about Goku! Stay where you are and concentrate on the Saibamen!"_

"But, Supreme Kai," Cloud said. "What about Goku? Whoever this newcomer is they're too strong for him to face alone!"

"_We've got it covered," _Elder Kai spoke up. _"We're sending in Kora to investigate. You guys just get rid of those Saibamen and be prepared to help finish this battle."_

"Understood," Cloud replied.

With the matter of Goku now taken care of, Cloud returned his full attention to the Saibamen. Now, as long as nothing else went wrong...

"Chaotzu! What are you doing?"

Cloud glanced down at the battle below them. He saw that Tien was injured and on the ground, looking upwards. Cloud followed his gaze and saw Nappa was airborne and clinging to his back was Chaotzu. Nappa was struggling to reach the diminutive Earthling but couldn't quite reach him. Abandoning that idea, Nappa switched tactics and flew backwards, slamming himself into the rock pillars around the area in an attempt to dislodge Chaotzu. Cloud winced each time Nappa hit the rock surface, fearing the smaller fighter would either be crushed to death or knocked out and then, upon releasing his hold on Nappa, would be wide open to attack from the Saiyan brute.

"What is he doing," Nionn asked. "Is he trying to get himself killed?"

Cloud wondered as well. He figured Chaotzu must have a plan, but what it was...Then it suddenly dawned on him! Chaotzu clinging to Nappa as he was reminded him of the Saibaman that had grabbed onto Yamcha before...

"No! Surely he wouldn't," Cloud gasped.

Then he saw Chaotzu was glowing and he could sense his energy building up. Then, there was a terrible explosion, and both Nappa and Chaotzu were obscured from sight by smoke. Everyone watched expectantly, though Cloud already had a feeling he knew the outcome. Sure enough, the smoke cleared away to reveal Nappa, singed but still alive. Sadly, there was no trace of Chaotzu. Down below, Tien gave an anguished cry of rage and sorrow at the loss of his friend. The second fighter had perished, now only two remained.

Far away from the battle, Goku had been on his way to the fight against the Saiyans. Having just returned from Other World, he had found his way blocked by the sudden appearance of someone. Goku stared at the stranger before him. It was obvious to Goku he was a Saiyan, but what surprised Goku even more was that the man looked exactly like him! He could have been Goku's twin brother! What's more, he could feel that this unknown Saiyan was incredibly strong. Maybe even stronger than the two Saiyans who had arrived on Earth.

"What's going on here," Goku wondered. "Hey! I'm in a hurry! Get out of my way!"

"Sorry, Kakarot," the Saiyan replied. "But you're not going anywhere...except back to the afterlife."

Goku tensed as his opponent approached. He had hoped to save his strength for the upcoming battle with the two Saiyans, but it seemed he had no choice but to fight this mystery Saiyan. Suddenly he sensed something. Looking around, he saw a white light appear in the sky. When the light cleared, a new person had arrived. A woman who was a humanoid cat with silver-white hair. The cat girl landed gracefully next to Goku and turned her attention to the other Saiyan.

"Nyan? Two Gokus," she said, surprise evident in her voice. "No. You're not Goku. You sure look like him though."

"Um, who are you," Goku asked.

"My name is Kora," she replied. "Don't worry, I'm here to help you out."

"Really," Goku said. "Well, you seem alright. Honestly, I could use a hand. I need to go help my friends, but this guy is holding me up. I hate to say it, but he seems pretty strong. I'm not sure if I can take him by myself."

"I'll do what I can," Kora said.

Both of them then attacked the mystery Saiyan. He met their charge head on, not the least bit worried.

"So just who are you," Goku demanded as they fought. "And how come you look just like me?"

"Oh, it's only natural we would look alike, Kakarot," he replied. "We're both disposable, low-class warriors. But make no mistake, I'm done with that life. One day soon, everyone will kneel before Turles."

"Turles," Kora said. "So that's your name."

"That's right," Turles said. "Remember it well, kitten. Because it will be the last name you ever hear." He charged up and fired off a beam of ki at her.

Kora moved fast, dodging the blast with amazing speed. Then she attacked, striking Turles with a fierce punch, making Turles stagger. Kora then struck again, landing several more hits, knocking her opponent to the ground. Turles was astounded by Kora's strength. Despite her petite figure, she was stronger than she looked. As Turles climbed to his feet, Goku moved in to attack. Turles blocked Goku's hits, though just barely. Kora's attacks had slowed him down, but not enough to where he couldn't handle Goku.

"Nice try, Kakarot," he said. "But you're no match for me!"

"Maybe not," Goku replied. "But I have no intention of letting you stand in my way! Not when everyone is counting on me!"

"Worrying about others, Kakarot," Turles sneered. "And you call yourself a Saiyan? You should be worrying more about yourself right now. I'm no intention of letting you leave here alive."

"You're not even supposed to be here," Kora said, addressing Turles. "Are you working for Towa?"

"How did you...Ah, I see," Turles said. "You must be one of those Patrollers I've heard so much about. That would explain why you're so strong."

The battle continued, though it wasn't long before Turles was starting to wear down. Both of his opponents were proving to be a bit more troublesome than he had imagined, especially Kora. At that moment, Goku caught him by surprise and knocked him off balance, allowing Kora to deliver another hit to him. Turles reeled from the attack, just barely able to recover in time to avoid another round of attacks from his opponents. Finding himself backed into a corner and injured, Turles stood there, catching his breath.

"This...isn't going as well as I thought it would," he said.

"Just give up," Turles," Kora said, approaching him. "Strong as you are, I'm much stronger."

Turles sighed. "It seems you may be right. I know when to admit defeat." Then he smiled sinisterly. "But now is not that time."

Reacting quickly, he launched a powerful blast of energy at Goku. Kora moved fast and put herself in front of the Saiyan warrior, taking the brunt of the attack. She flew backwards, nearly crashing into Goku, who managed to catch her. He lowered her to the ground and checked her injuries.

"Hey, are you alright," Goku asked.

Kora moaned in pain, signifying she was still alive at least. Goku looked up as Turles approached, the evil Saiyan smirking.

"What kind of cowardly tactic was that," Goku snapped. "You knew she'd do that!"

"Of course, I did," Turles replied. "People like her are so predictable." He raised his hand and started charging up. "And now, you'll both die."

"_Kora? Can you hear me?"_

"Nyan...Trunks," Kora said. "Is that you?"

"_Hang in there, Kora! Help should be arriving any minute now!"_

Suddenly, a blast of ki energy came streaking down towards Turles, catching him by surprise. The Saiyan went sailing through the air and crashed to the ground. Goku looked up to see a red haired woman hovering in the air. He also saw that she was a Saiyan.

"Who the hell is that," Turles yelled, staring up at her.

"Scarlet," Kora whispered. "You came."

Scarlet looked down at Goku and Kora, noticing her friend's injuries. A look of anger crossed her face and then she charged at Turles. She struck before he had a chance to react, landing a powerful hit to his face. Turles staggered from the hit, but managed to recover enough to try and fight back. However, he found he was no match for the enraged Saiyan warrior as she attacked him, landing several powerful blows. Scarlet then grabbed Turles and spun him around, sending him flying into a large boulder. Turles crashed into it, momentarily stunned by the impact.

"Wow. She's good," Goku said, impressed by the female Saiyan's strength.

Scarlet approached Turles, her hand glowing as she powered up an attack. Turles could only watch helplessly as she fired off the attack. However, before it could hit, someone appeared in front of the beam and managed to knock it aside, saving Turles from certain death. The figure was clad in black and wore an opaque helmet, hiding his face.

"Who are you," Scarlet demanded. Then she suddenly fell silent as she studied the figure. "Hold on. You look familiar. I think I know you."

"Possibly," the figure replied, his voice modulated by his helmet. He glanced back at Turles. "Well, you made a mess of things, Turles. Get out of here. I'll keep them occupied."

Turles glared at the figure but complied. Hauling himself up from the crushed rock, he staggered off.

"Hold it," Scarlet called after him. "You're not going anywhere!"

She tried to go after him, only to have the mystery figure move in to block her.

"Don't worry about him," he said. "He's the least of your problems."

"Just who the hell are you," Scarlet asked. "Are you working for Towa?"

"Oh, you'll get the answers to those questions soon enough," he replied. "For now, though, I think you might want to see to your friend over there. She was injured pretty badly."

With that, he disappeared. Scarlet scanned the area, but saw no sign of him. Turles was also gone.

"Damn it," she swore. "Well, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of those two. But that guy in the helmet...I know I've seen him somewhere before." Turning, she made her way over to where Goku and Kora were waiting.

Goku stood up, Kora in his arms. Scarlet halted in front of them, checking on her.

"Kora. Are you alright," Scarlet asked, concerned, noting a terrible burn mark from Turles's blast.

"She took a hit meant for me," Goku explained. "She's still alive, but the injury looks pretty bad. I wish I had some Senzu Beans on me."

"Here. Give her to me," Scarlet said, holding out her arms.

Goku carefully handed Kora over to Scarlet, placing her in the female Saiyan's arms. Scarlet held her close, and Goku was relieved to see Kora move.

"Scarlet," she said. "I'm so glad to see you. Sorry I messed up."

"No, you didn't," Scarlet assured her. "You saved Goku's life. As far as I'm concerned, you did great. Come on, lets get you home and healed up." She turned to Goku. "How are you holding up, Goku? Did you get injured?"

"Nah, I'm okay," he said. "With Kora's help, I was able to handle Turles just fine. By the way, who was that guy in black? I could sense his power. It was enormous."

"I think I've seen him somewhere before," Scarlet said. "But I can't really recall where."

"Well, I don't know what's going on here, but I really need to get going," Goku said. "Gohan and the others need my help." Goku tensed and then turned in the direction of the ongoing battle with the Saiyans. "Oh, no! I just felt an enormous presence vanish! I have to hurry!"

"Go on then," Scarlet said. "I'm going to take Kora and get her some medical treatment. Listen, Goku, when you get to the battle, you'll find some other allies waiting to help you out. They're friends of mine."

"Okay," Goku said. "Thanks. I really owe you and Kora one. I hope we meet again someday." With that he took flight and flew off towards the battlefield.

"Oh, we'll meet again alright," Scarlet said, watching Goku fly off.

Then she and Kora disappeared, returning to the Time Nest.

Cloud finished off the last of the Dark Saibamen. With that threat taken care of, he surveyed what was happening below. Following Chaotzu's demise, Tien had attacked Nappa, giving it everything he had to stop the mighty Saiyan and avenge his friend. However, Tien's best efforts had proven futile and the Earth warrior had pushed himself too hard, collapsing to the ground, dead from over exerting his own energy. With Tien down, Nappa had turned his sights on the remaining three fighters and targeted Gohan, unleashing a massive energy beam on the young boy. Before the beam had struck, however, Piccolo had moved in and took the hit for him, sacrificing his own life to save Gohan. That meant that all four warriors who were supposed to have perished in this time line were now accounted for. Which meant they could stop holding back and finally deal with Nappa.

"That's all of them," Nionn said, referring to the Saibamen. Then she glanced down at the remaining fighters below. "And just in time, too."

Cloud nodded. "Alright, guys. No need to go easy on Nappa anymore."

"About time," Hope said. "I'm ready to take my frustrations out on that bastard."

At that moment, they saw another person arrive. It was Goku!

"Looks like Kora was successful in helping Goku," Nionn said.

"Then lets get down there and help them end this battle," Cloud said.

The four Saiyans flew down towards the ground to join Goku and the two remaining Earth warriors.

End of Chapter Three...


	4. Chapter 4

Time Patrollers 2: Chapter Four

The Power of Two Great Apes? Super Saiyans Revealed!

Goku landed on the ground, placing himself between Gohan and Krillin and the two Saiyans. Glancing around, he saw the bodies of Yamcha, Tien and Piccolo. There was no sign of Chaotzu, but Goku had no doubt that he too had perished in battle as well. He also noticed the remains of strange creatures he had never seen before, possibly allies of the Saiyans. And speaking of which, Goku also saw four other Saiyans approaching. These had to be the allies Scarlet had mentioned. Three were male while the remaining one was female with silver hair.

The four Saiyans landed near the trio. One of them stepped forward and stopped before Goku.

"Goku. You made it," he said. "I trust you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Goku replied. "Thanks to two other fighters I met."

"Two," the Saiyan said.

"Yeah. They said their names were Kora and Scarlet," Goku explained. "They showed up to help me fight some Saiyan named Turles. And also some stranger in black wearing a helmet. Just before we parted ways, Scarlet said I'd find some friends of hers helping out against the Saiyans. I'm assuming that's you guys?"

"That's right. My name is Cloud," the Saiyan introduced himself. "These are my companions: Hope, Luttice, and Nionn."

Goku nodded. "Nice to meet you. Though I wish it was under better circumstances. You know, this isn't the first time someone's showed up to help me out. About a year ago some guy I didn't know showed up and helped me and Piccolo deal with Raditz. Now you guys are here and there was also Kora and Scarlet. Just what's going on here? Where did you guys come from? And just why are you here?"

"I really wish we could tell you, Goku," Cloud said. "But I'm afraid we can't say. All I can tell you is we're here to help and to ensure things turn out like they're supposed to."

Goku remained silent, thinking on Cloud's words. While he certainly wanted answers, and he could have pushed the issue, he felt now was not the time. There was still the matter of the Saiyans to deal with.

"Okay, fine. While I'd still like to know what's going on, we do need to deal with those two first," Goku said, indicating Nappa and Vegeta. "So, I'll go along with this for now. At the very least I know you guys are on our side." He turned to Krillin. "Krillin, take Gohan and get out of here. I'll take it from here."

Krillin nodded. "Got it. Gohan, lets go."

Gohan turned to Goku. "But, dad? Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine, son," Goku assured him. "I won't be facing them alone. These guys will help me."

Gohan and Krillin glanced at the four Saiyans. Despite having lost some of their allies, there was no denying the mysterious warriors had helped them out.

"Don't worry, kid," Nionn said. "We'll make sure nothing happens to your dad. I promise."

Gohan nodded. "Okay. If my dad trusts you, then so do I."

With that, both Krillin and Gohan floated up into the air and flew off away from the battlefield. With his son and friend now out of danger, Goku turned his attention to Nappa and Vegeta.

"Finally! There you are," Vegeta addressed Goku. "I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up, Kakarot. A pity you showed up too late to save your friends."

Goku glared at Vegeta and took up a fighting stance. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"

"So you really want to do this," Vegeta smirked. "Fine with me." Suddenly his eyes flashed red and a dark aura surrounded him. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, Kakarot."

Cloud stepped up next to Goku. "Let me help you with him, Goku. He's pretty strong on his own, but something's boosting his power even more right now."

"Yeah, I noticed," Goku replied. "I think I might take you up on that offer."

"And while you two are dealing with him, we'll take care of Nappa," Hope said.

Cloud nodded. He and Goku turned their full attention on Vegeta while the three remaining Saiyans approached their opponent.

"Nappa," Vegeta said. "Finish off those three while I deal with Kakarot and this other fool."

"You got it, Vegeta," Nappa said, turning to face the three other Saiyans. Just like with Vegeta, his eyes flared red and a dark aura appeared around him.

Hope and his two companions readied themselves while Goku and Cloud faced off against Vegeta. Without another word, the combatants charged at one another.

As the next round of combat began, X appeared up on one of the stone pillars and watched the battle unfold before him.

"Made it back just in time," he said. "Now, to sit back and wait to make my next move."

After he had given Scarlet the slip, he had made sure Turles had returned to the designated meeting place to recover from his injuries. X had ordered him to remain there until further notice. Turles had been surly to say the least, but he had complied. With the renegade Saiyan taken care of, he had returned to see how things were progressing. It had been fortunate for him that Turles had showed up here in this particular time line, saving Mira the headache of having to track him down. Hopefully with a little luck he would find the missing Slug.

"Those two might be more trouble than they're worth," he muttered to himself. "What exactly does Towa want with them?"

He shrugged and dismissed the thought. It didn't matter to him what Towa had planned. As long as he did his job and got his payment, then he wasn't going to question Towa's decisions. In the meantime, he needed to focus on the situation at hand. Soon he would need to move in and initiate the next phase of his assignment.

Down below, Nappa was discovering that the three Saiyans he was fighting weren't the pushovers he was expecting. The larger Saiyan warrior swung his arm at Nionn, only to have her easily dodge it. She then grabbed his arm and tossed him through the air. Nappa halted his flight, only to be waylaid by Hope and Luttice. Nappa attacked them with ferocious hits, but found his punches being countered. Hope lashed out and kicked Nappa, winding him. Luttice then uppercut him, sending him staggering back. At that moment, Nionn came charging in and landed a solid punch to Nappa's face, sending him careening into the side of a rock pillar. Nappa gasped as he stumbled to his feet, feeling both anger and confusion.

"This...makes no sense," he growled. "You guys were barely holding your own against me earlier. How the hell are you suddenly this strong?"

"Did it ever occur to you that we weren't showing off our full strength before," Hope retorted.

"What? You've been holding back this whole time," Nappa exclaimed. "That can't be! You're bluffing!"

"You don't sound so sure about that," Nionn said. "I can hear doubt in your voice."

"If you guys really are so strong, then why did you hold back before," Nappa asked. "You could have wiped out those Saibamen easily. Not to mention you could have done something to save those other Earthlings from dying. So why didn't you?"

"We have our reasons," Hope replied.

"Besides, they'll be revived with the Dragon Balls after this battle is over," Luttice added.

"That's assuming you survive this battle," Nappa snarled. "Even if you beat me, you'll never stand a chance against Vegeta! He'll make short work of Kakarot and your friend! And then he'll destroy all of you!"

"Maybe you'd better check on Vegeta's progress before making such claims," Hope said, pointing behind Nappa.

Confused, Nappa turned to see what was happening with his leader. His eyes widened in surprise! Not only were Goku and Cloud still alive, but they actually had Vegeta on the ropes!

"This...This makes no sense," Nappa said. "We're Saiyan Elites! This shouldn't be happening!"

At that moment, Vegeta was echoing Nappa's same thoughts. At first, he had thought Goku would be dealt with easily, and then he could destroy Cloud at his leisure. However, Goku had proven to be a bit stronger than he had originally suspected. And while Cloud had left most of the fighting to Goku, the times he had joined in he had proven to be just as strong, if not stronger!

"Damn it," he growled. "This isn't going as well as I thought it would. But no matter. They'll still perish."

He charged at Goku, unleashing a blast of ki energy. Goku dodged and charged at Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince readied himself, convinced he could counter Goku's attack. However...

"KAIOKEN," Goku yelled, and suddenly he was surrounded by a bright red aura.

"Kaioken," Vegeta exclaimed in confusion.

That's as far as he got before Goku struck, knocking the Saiyan Prince back with a surprisingly hard punch. Vegeta managed to recover quickly and struck back at Goku. But, before he could finish off his opponent, Cloud moved in and attacked. He struck Vegeta with a powerful kick and sent him sailing through the air only to crash into the ground. Vegeta hauled himself to his feet, staggering slightly from his injuries. Goku and Cloud landed on the ground and confronted him.

Vegeta glared at them, seething with hatred.

"You'll pay for this," he raged.

"Just give up, Vegeta," Cloud said. "You're outmatched."

Rather than respond, Vegeta instead shot up into the sky. He hovered way above his two enemies, surrounded by a bright aura of power as he began charging up his strongest attack.

"This is the end for you, Kakarot," he yelled. "I'll destroy this entire planet and you with it!"

As Vegeta prepared to fire off his attack, Goku powered up with the Kaioken and then started charging up his own attack.

"Ka...me...ha...me...!"

"GALICK GUN," Vegeta shouted, firing off a massive beam at Goku.

"HAAAAAA," Goku yelled, firing off the Kamehameha.

Both beams crashed into each other, resulting in a power struggle.

"What," Vegeta exclaimed, surprised his attack was being held back.

Back at the other battle, Nappa could only stare in surprise at how Vegeta was getting beaten, by a low-class Saiyan warrior of all people!

"So, still think this battle is going to go your way," Hope asked.

Quivering with anger, Nappa whirled around to face the three Saiyans. The ground began trembling as he gathered all of energy together for one massive attack. His fist began glowing and then, he attacked.

"DIE," he shouted, unleashing a powerful blast of ki.

The energy blast struck home, resulting in a massive explosion, obscuring the three Saiyans from sight. Smirking, Nappa watched as the smoke cleared...only to have his expression change to stunned disbelief! His opponents were still alive!

"Our turn," Luttice said.

The three Saiyans each fired off a beam of energy at Nappa. The Saiyan warrior braced himself as the three beams converged on him. He managed to hold the beams off for a moment, until Hope and his two companions poured on more power. Nappa staggered and then found himself being overwhelmed by the attacks...

Meanwhile, the struggle between Goku and Vegeta continued. Cloud was about to add his own power to Goku's beam attack when the Saiyan warrior of Earth surprised him.

"Kaioken...Times...FOUR," he shouted.

Suddenly, the Kamehameha expanded in size and overpowered Vegeta's beam. Goku's attack streaked through the air and struck Vegeta full on...

When the smoke cleared, Hope thought for sure they had finished Nappa off. However, he was shocked to see that he was still alive! It was then that he saw a figure standing in front of the hulking Saiyan. A figure dressed in black and wearing a helmet. The figure had his hands raised, smoke wafting off them. Somehow he had managed to stave off the energy beams and had saved Nappa.

"Who's that," Hope asked.

"Beats me," Luttice replied.

Nionn remained silent, staring at the figure. There was something familiar about him. Where had she seen him before?

"Who are you," Nappa asked. "And why did you help me?"

"Just think of me as a friend," the helmeted figure replied. "As for why I helped you, lets just say I'd like to see you crush these losers into a bloody pulp."

Nappa grinned. "Well, I may not know who you are, but you're alright."

"Now, then," the figure said. "How's Vegeta holding up?"

Everyone present turned to see Goku and Cloud still on the ground, with no sign of Vegeta. Suddenly, the Saiyan Prince appeared from above and landed on the ground in front of the two Saiyan warriors. He was battered and his clothes were a bit ragged, but he was still standing.

"Ah, good," X said. "There he is. Now it's time for the next phase."

He disappeared and then suddenly reappeared next to Vegeta, surprising Goku and Cloud.

"Hey! It's that guy again," Goku said. "The one who helped Turles!"

"Who is he? Why is he here," Cloud mused. _And is he working with Towa?_

"And just who the hell are you," Vegeta asked, addressing X.

"An ally," X replied. "Seems you're having a little trouble with these guys. Might I make a suggestion, Prince Vegeta? Why don't you show them the power of the mighty Ozaru?"

Vegeta stared at X. "How do you know about that?" Then he shook his head. "Never mind. The form disgusts me, but, there's no denying it could prove effective." Vegeta conjured up a glowing orb of energy. Then he sent it flying skyward. "Burst open and mix!"

The orb burst, creating a sphere of golden light. Vegeta felt the change instantly and began growing. Down on the ground, Nappa gazed up at the ball of light and felt power surging through him. Like Vegeta, he began to grow as well. He laughed in exhilaration as he transformed.

"Uh-oh," Nionn said. "They're turning into Great Apes!"

"No problem," Hope said. "We're Saiyans too. We'll use the same tactic and become Great Apes as well, just like what Scarlet did when she and the others first fought Vegeta."

They all looked up at the bright light in the sky, feeling the change setting in. Suddenly, the orb of light was surrounded by a dark aura of energy. Instantly, the feeling of transforming disappeared.

"Hey! What's going on here," Hope said. "How come I'm not transforming?"

He turned to see the same thing was happening with his team mates. None of them were changing either.

"What gives," Nionn said. "We should be Great Apes by now!"

"Oh, having some trouble?"

They turned to see X had appeared before them. Even though they couldn't see his face, Hope had the feeling the mystery man was smirking.

"I get the feeling you have something to do with that," Hope surmised, pointing up at the darkened power ball.

"Not entirely," X replied. "As it is, Towa figured you'd probably try the same tactic Scarlet used last time, so she made a special spell to deal with this. That dark aura surrounding the Power Ball is altering the bluntz waves. It will only effect people under the influence of Towa's dark magic. People like Nappa and Vegeta, for instance. Which means, you guys can't transform into Great Apes."

"You son of a..." Luttice growled.

"So you are working for Towa," Cloud said, joining his companions. "I had a feeling that was the case. Just who are you anyway?"

"Why not ask your friend there," X said, gesturing at Nionn. "She knows. Or at the very least, I seem familiar to her, don't I, Nionn?"

"You do look familiar," Nionn said. "I know I've seen you somewhere before."

At that moment, two massive shadows fell over the gathered Saiyans. Standing over the group were Vegeta and Nappa, fully transformed into Great Apes.

"Hmm. Looks like you have other matters to be concerned with right now," X said. "If you manage to survive this, I'm sure you'll get your answers." With that, he disappeared from sight, leaving the four Patrollers and Goku to deal with the two Great Apes.

"Great," Cloud said. "This just got complicated."

"HA, HA, HA," Nappa rumbled. "LOOKS LIKE THE TABLES HAVE TURNED!"

"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU," Vegeta roared.

Both Great Apes lunged forward, bringing their massive fists down towards the five Saiyans. The group took flight, avoiding the attack. The two Apes charged at them, swiping at them.

"Okay, one Great Ape is bad enough," Nionn said. "But two?"

"_This is bad," _The Supreme Kai of Time said over the communicator. _"Nappa has transformed as well. It looks like slowing Goku down caused a lot of trouble. They need to be defeated if we want to return history to it's normal course."_

"_I suggest you guys focus on that big brute Nappa, first," _Elder Kai said. _"Since he's not even supposed to be here, you can destroy him without having to worry about any consequences. Once he's dealt with, focus on Vegeta."_

"That's all well and good," Luttice said. "But we are talking about Great Apes here. A Saiyan's power is increased 10 times when they transform into one. And we happen to have two Great Apes on our hands. Add to that, they're also being strengthened by Towa's magic."

They moved quickly as Nappa turned towards them and unleashed a massive beam of energy at them. They retaliated by peppering him with ki blasts of their own. However, the blasts had little effect on him.

"Guys, I think there's only one way to deal with these two," Cloud said. "We're going to have to go Super Saiyan."

"Is that a good idea," Hope asked. "Revealing the Super Saiyan transformation here and now at this point in time?"

"I don't think we have much of a choice," Cloud replied. "We're just going to have to risk it."

The others nodded in agreement. Then, in a burst of golden light, they transformed into Super Saiyans, surprising the two Great Apes and Goku.

"Whoa! What is that," Goku exclaimed. "Your power...it just sky rocketed!"

"We'll tell you later," Luttice said. "First things first!"

The five Saiyans turned to face the two Great Apes, both of whom were still a bit surprised by the sudden transformation the four Patrollers had undergone.

"WHAT IS THIS," Vegeta demanded. "WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS KIND OF POWER BEFORE!"

"WHO CARES WHAT IT IS," Nappa said, recovering from his initial shock. "IT WON'T HELP THEM!"

He surged forward, raising his fist. He lashed out at them...only to have Cloud and Hope intercept it and halt the attack.

"WHAT," Nappa gasped.

Suddenly, Nionn and Luttice flew in and slammed right into Nappa's face, making him stagger back, stunned. Cloud and Hope then moved in and attacked, landing solid punches on Nappa's face. Nappa staggered back more, and then lost his footing, crashing to the ground.

While the four Patrollers were dealing with Nappa, Goku and Vegeta were both watching, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

"Man. That's incredible," Goku said. "How did they get that strong?"

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE," Vegeta said. "WHERE DID THEY GET THAT KIND OF POWER?" He turned to Goku. "WELL, IT HARDLY MATTERS, KAKAROT! I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE THAT POWER! SO, I'LL DEAL WITH YOU FIRST!"

Goku reacted quickly as Vegeta moved in to attack, just narrowly avoiding the giant fist. Goku countered, blasting Vegeta in the face with a ki blast, making him stagger back.

"I may not have the kind of power they do, but I won't go down without a fight," Goku said.

"BRAVE WORDS, KAKAROT," Vegeta sneered. "BUT THAT'S ALL THEY ARE, WORDS!"

He attacked again, swiping at Goku, who dodged the attacks. Vegeta was undeniably strong, he couldn't deny that. But, Goku was faster and more agile. With a little luck, he could wear Vegeta down while taking potshots at him. Vegeta was quick to anger and that could lead to him making a mistake. And Goku would use that to his advantage. And hopefully Cloud and the others would join him shortly just in case.

"LET ME GUESS, KAKAROT," Vegeta said. "YOU'RE PROBABLY HOPING FOR THOSE FOUR TO COME TO YOUR AID! WELL, THAT WON'T HAPPEN!"

Turning, Vegeta opened his mouth and fired off a massive beam of energy at the four Patrollers...

Nappa stared up at the four Saiyans hovering over him. He could barely move from the injuries he had sustained from them. Somehow their mysterious transformation had proven to be even stronger than a Great Ape. It made no sense whatsoever! What kind of power, besides Frieza himself, could match a Great Ape? Then it suddenly dawned on him! There was one power he had heard of that a Saiyan could harness. But it couldn't be what he thought it was! That was just a legend after all!

"YOU...YOU CAN'T BE," Nappa said, awe and terror evident in his voice. "ARE YOU...SUPER SAIYANS?"

"Bingo," Hope said.

Powering up, the four Saiyans blasted Nappa out of existence.

"Alright, that takes care of him," Nionn said. "At least that guy in black didn't intervene this time."

"Speaking of which, is he still around," Hope asked. "I got a few things to "discuss" with him."

"We'll worry about him later," Cloud said. "For now, we need to go deal with Veget..."

At that moment, Vegeta's beam attack reached them. There was a tremendous explosion as the four Saiyans were hit...

"Oh, no," Goku gasped as the beam attack struck his allies.

"HA HA HA HA," Vegeta laughed. "TOO BAD, KAKAROT! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN NOW!"

"That's what you think!"

Goku and Vegeta turned to see who had spoken. It was Gohan and Krillin! They had returned!

"What are you two doing here," Goku asked as they joined him.

"Sorry, Goku, but we just couldn't leave without helping you," Krillin said. "Friends have to help each other out, right?"

"Krillin's right, dad," Gohan said. "We're with you to the end."

"You guys," Goku said, smiling. "Alright, then. Looks like I'll need your help anyway. Cloud and the others just got blind sided by Vegeta's attack. I don't know if they're alive or..."

"Hopefully they're alright," Krillin said. "We'll just have to do what we can by ourselves."

"At the very least, they took out Nappa," Goku said. "So Vegeta's our only concern now. Unless that guy in black comes back."

"Guy in black," Krillin asked. "What happened after we left, Goku?"

"I'll explain later," Goku said. "Right now, we need to focus on Vegeta and win this fight. Listen, Krillin, there is way we can end this fight. If we cut off his tail, he'll turn back to normal. Gohan and I will keep him distracted while you sneak up behind him and use your Destructo Disk."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan," Krillin said. "Lets do this!"

The three Earth warriors took flight and charged at Vegeta. At first, Krillin remained in sight of Vegeta, helping Goku and Gohan in the attack to throw the Saiyan Prince off guard. Vegeta lashed out at the smaller opponents, taking swipes at them with his massive fists. Watching closely, Krillin waited for the right moment to attempt his attack. Suddenly, the opportunity presented itself! Vegeta was fully focused on Goku, attacking him relentlessly. Gohan was staying just out of range of Vegeta's attacks and peppering him with ki blasts.

"ARGH! DAMN PESTS," Vegeta bellowed, turning to face Gohan.

This allowed Goku the chance to attack him, drawing the Saiyan Prince's attention back to him, further frustrating the Great Ape.

"Perfect," Krillin said. "Looks like he's distracted enough. Time to make my move."

Moving quickly and carefully so as not to draw attention to himself, Krillin flew in behind the massive ape. Channeling his energy, he conjured up a large whirling disk of ki. With the disk fully formed, he waited for the right moment. Vegeta had his back to him, his tail just within sight.

"Here goes," he said. "DESTRUCTO DISK!"

He hurled the spinning energy disk as Vegeta. The disk sailed through the air, heading straight for Vegeta's tail. It got within range and then...Suddenly an orb of energy streaked through the air and struck the disk, destroying it. Krillin could only stare in shock as his attack dissipated.

"Wha...What happened," he exclaimed.

"Nice try, baldy. But that's not going to work."

Krillin turned and saw X standing right behind him. The masked man swung his arm around and knocked Krillin to the ground. Stunned by the force of the hit, Krillin stared up at the mysterious figure standing over him.

"Did you really think it would be that easy," X asked. "Please. I anticipated such a tactic. So, before I finish you off, I'm going to let you watch your two friends die first."

Krillin craned his neck to see how Goku and Gohan were doing. To his horror, he saw Gohan had been knocked to the ground, injured, leaving Goku to face Vegeta alone. As he watched, he saw Vegeta catch Goku off guard and knock him into the rocks. Goku crashed to the ground, winded and injured. But Vegeta wasn't done with him yet. The Great Ape reached down and grabbed Goku. Then, with a maniacal grin, began to crush Goku. Krillin winced as his friend screamed in agony as Vegeta steadily crushed his ribs.

"Stop it," Krillin yelled. "You're killing him!"

"That's the idea," X smirked. "And guess what?" He raised his hand which began glowing. "You're time is up as well, Krillin. Enjoy the afterlife."

Suddenly, a golden streak of light crashed into X, catching him by surprise. Recovering from the surprise attack, he found himself being waylaid by Hope. The Saiyan Patroller lashed out at the masked man, knocking him backwards. X caught himself in mid-flight and countered Hope's next attack, surprising him with a savage right hook.

"I guess it was too much to hope that Vegeta's attack had finished you and your friends off," X growled.

"That sneak attack barely phased us," Hope said. "Krillin, are you alright?"

"I am now," Krillin replied. "But Goku..."

"Don't worry," Hope said. "My team mates got that covered." He turned his attention to X. "Which means I get to deal with you."

"Bring it on," X said, beckoning him forward. "I'm going to enjoy destroying you myself."

While Hope dealt with X, Vegeta was still taking his time crushing Goku and enjoying the pain he was inflicting upon him.

"TOO BAD, KAKAROT," he sneered. "BEING WISHED BACK TO LIFE ONLY TO DIE ALL OVER AGAIN! YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THE SMART THING AND JOINED US! YOU KNOW, I THINK I'LL SPARE YOUR SON'S LIFE AND TAKE HIM WITH ME! HE MIGHT RESIST FOR A WHILE, BUT AFTER A FEW YEARS OF MY TRAINING AND TUTALAGE, I'LL TURN HIM INTO A PROPER SAIYAN WARRIOR! AND YOU WILL DIE, KNOWING YOU COULDN'T STOP ME!"

"Hey, loudmouth!"

Vegeta turned, wondering who had said that...only to howl in pain as a beam of ki struck him in the eye. He released his hold on Goku, who fell to the ground. Cloud swooped in and caught him before he crashed to the ground.

"Hey...Cloud," Goku wheezed. "Glad to see you guys are...alright."

"Just hang on, Goku," Cloud said. "We're about to wrap this battle up."

Goku saw Luttice and Nionn attacking Vegeta, hammering him with powerful hits. Vegeta swiped at them, but his attacks were going wide, missing the two Saiyans by a mile. The two Patrollers then blasted him with two powerful energy beams, making Vegeta stumble to his knees.

"Man. This power you guys have...it's insane," Goku remarked. "What is it? How did you come by it?"

"I can't say right at the moment," Cloud said. "But just trust me when I say you'll find out soon enough. I really can't share too much information."

"Why? I don't understand," Goku said. "It's obvious you're here to help us, but you won't tell me anything."

"There are some things that you can't know about right now," Cloud said. "But I promise you will get answers to your questions."

Goku sighed. "I don't know why, but I actually feel like you're being genuinely honest with me. Alright, I'll trust you on this."

"Thanks," Cloud said.

Vegeta managed to climb to his feet and faced his enemies. He glared at them with his one good eye.

"JUST...WHO THE HELL ARE YOU," he demanded. "HOW ARE YOU THIS STRONG? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE..."

Vegeta suddenly went stiff, a shocked expression on his face. Behind him, his tail fell away and crashed to the ground. Behind him was Krillin, smiling with grim satisfaction.

"Heh. Gotcha that time," he said.

"ARGH! DAMN IT," Vegeta snarled as he began shrinking. "MY TAIL...!"

Soon he was back to his normal size and form. The Saiyan Prince then collapsed to the ground, the injuries he had suffered from the battle taking their toll on him. Knowing he was in no shape to continue the fight, Vegeta pulled a small remote from his pocket and pushed a button. In less than a minute, his space pod appeared overhead and landed just a few feet away. Vegeta began crawling towards it.

"Hold it," Krillin yelled. "You're not going anywhere!"

He tried to go after Vegeta, only to have Luttice and Nionn bar his way.

"Wha...What are you doing," Krillin asked. "Why are you stopping me?"

"He's beaten," Luttice said. "Let him go."

"Let him go," Krillin exclaimed. "Are you serious? After everything he and his friend did?

"Krillin," Goku spoke up. Cloud carefully set the battered Saiyan on the ground. "It's alright. Next time...I'll beat him...on my own."

Krillin looked confused but then sighed and shook his head in resignation. He turned back just in time to see the space pod lifting off, carrying the injured Vegeta away.

X and Hope halted their fight when they saw Vegeta leaving in his space pod, signifying the battle had finally come to an end.

"So much for that," X said. "Oh, well." He leapt away from Hope and landed on the top of a rock shelf. "We'll finish this another time, Hope. There are still other time periods out there, and you can bet we'll meet again." With that, he disappeared.

"Tch. Coward," Hope growled, powering down. He winced slightly from some of the hits X had landed on him. "Damn. He was pretty strong though. We're going to have to be careful with that guy, whoever he is."

Turning, he flew over to where his team mates were gathered, along with Goku, Krillin, and Gohan, all three looking worse for the wear, especially Goku.

"Everyone alright," he asked.

"We're fine," Nionn replied. "Though Goku definitely needs medical attention."

"I believe Bulma and the others are on their way here now," Cloud said. "They'll be able to help him. Meanwhile, we should get going. Our work here is done."

The four Saiyans were turning to leave when Krillin stopped them.

"Hang on a minute," he said. "Look, I appreciate everything you guys did for us. If it wasn't for you, we'd probably all be dead right now. But...there's something I need to address. That power you guys used against those two Great Apes. You were able to beat them easily with it. In fact, you guys were even able to beat those two even before they transformed. So, why? Why didn't you use that strength earlier? If you could have defeated them that easily before, why did you hold back? We could have saved our friends! We could have ended that fight much sooner without suffering like this! Tell me why!"

Cloud and his team mates remained silent, not really sure what to say. Finally, Cloud spoke.

"I'm sorry, Krillin. Believe me, we wanted nothing more than to stop Nappa and Vegeta right away and prevent your friends from dying. But...things had to play out that way. You have to understand, there are forces at work here. Forces that are seeking to change things. And we're here to ensure none of those changes occur. And that's all I'm going to say." He turned and began walking away. "Things will turn out alright. You'll find a way to bring your friends back."

He and the three other Saiyans disappeared in a flash of white light, returning to the Time Nest, leaving Goku, Gohan and Krillin to ponder on Cloud's words and figure out a way to bring their fallen friends back from the afterlife, unaware of the greater dangers that awaited them out among the stars...and from both the Past and Future.

End of Chapter Four...


	5. Chapter 5

Time Patrollers 2-Chapter Five

The Masked Man's Name! Namek in Peril!

_The Time Nest..._

The Supreme Kai watched the scroll and felt relieved when the dark energy surrounding it faded away.

"Phew. They did it," she said. "History has been corrected."

"Despite a few unexpected obstacles," Elder Kai added. "Too many, in fact. A mysterious Saiyan, a masked man, dark Saibamen, two Great Apes! Those four sure had their work cut out for them."

"Frost and his team definitely had it easier with this mission," The Supreme Kai said. "It seems Towa's not playing around. She's pulling out all the stops. We're going to have to be extra careful from here on out."

At that moment, the four Saiyan warriors returned, appearing before the two Kais and the other Patrollers.

"Hey, guys," Berri greeted. "Welcome back. Man, you sure had a rough time on your hands, didn't you?"

"That's putting it lightly," Hope replied. "Man, I didn't think we'd be dealing with two Great Apes. And just who was that masked guy that showed up?"

"Good question," Cloud said. He turned to Nionn. "Hey, Nionn? He mentioned you knew who he was. And you said he looked familiar. Have you ever met him before?"

"Not per se," Nionn replied. "I've never met him in person, but I know I've seen him somewhere. I just can't recall where."

"I'm sure you'll remember sooner or later," The Supreme Kai assured her. "In the meantime, I can tell you about the Saiyan that ambushed Goku. His name is Turles. He's a Saiyan warrior from an alternate Time Line that Goku fought."

"He's also the leader of a group called the Crusher Corps," Elder Kai added. "In the alternate time line, he and his minions came to Earth and planted the Tree of Might."

"Tree of Might," Aubrey said. "They came to Earth just to plant a tree?"

"Somehow I doubt it was the usual run of the mill tree," Android #7 speculated.

"You're right, #7," The Supreme Kai said. "The Tree of Might is a rare tree, one that can grow special fruit that when eaten, imbues the person with immense energy, making them even stronger than they were before. The strength and potency of the fruit depends on the planet it's planted on."

"Energy bearing fruit, huh," Hope said. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad."

"Hold on a minute, sonny," Elder Kai interrupted. "It's not that simple. The Tree draws upon the very life essence of the planet it's taken root on, and that even includes the essence of living creatures as well. In short, the price of growing that fruit is taking the very life of the planet and it's inhabitants."

"Okay, I withdraw my previous statement," Hope said.

"How did Turles ever get his hands on something like that," Cloud asked.

"Hard to say, really," The Supreme Kai said. "Regardless of how he got it, he almost wiped out Earth and nearly defeated Goku due to the enhancements of the fruit. Fortunately, Goku was able to defeat Turles by using the life energy stored within the tree to create a Spirit Bomb, effectively taking out Turles and the tree in one fell swoop."

"With the tree destroyed, all of the energy it had absorbed went back into the planet," Elder Kai said. "It recovered, as did the people and animals and plant life. One thing you should know, is that because of it's properties, the tree is usually grown and cared for by beings such as the Kais. As such, only Deities are allowed to consume that fruit, and even then, we would only grow one on planets with enough energy to sustain it without endangering the world and it's inhabitants."

"Well, that answers that question," Luttice said. "It seems Towa is relying on past villains to do her dirty work for her after all. She must have sent him after Goku then."

"At the point in time when Goku was heading to the battle against Vegeta, he wouldn't have stood a chance against Turles on his own," The Supreme Kai explained. "It's a good thing Kora was able to get there in time and stop him."

"Speaking of Kora," Hope said, looking around. "Where is she?"

"I'm afraid Kora got injured by a sneak attack from Turles," Elder Kai said. "He tried to attack Goku, but she moved in the way and took the hit. Fortunately Scarlet showed up and drove Turles off. Then she brought Kora back here for treatment. Right now she's resting and recovering."

"So Scarlet did show up," Cloud said. "Goku mentioned she had arrived and helped out when he met up with us. Is she still here?"

"As far as I know, she is," The Supreme Kai said. "I imagine she wants to make sure Kora is alright before heading back out to rejoin Frost and the others. I told her she didn't have to rush off so soon. And who knows, Frost and the others might stop in as well. Anyway, good job out there, guys. I know that was a lot more difficult than we expected, but you did great out there."

"Why don't you guys go check on Kora and see how she's doing," Elder Kai suggested. "We'll call if anything comes up."

"Just make sure you don't screech in our ears this time, old man," Nionn said. "I don't want to go deaf before I hit old age."

With that, the Patrollers left the Time Vault to go check on their team mate. After they were gone, The Supreme Kai turned to Elder Kai.

"It seems Towa is utilizing the same strategy she used during her invasion of the Time Nest," she mused.

"And if that's the case, who knows what kind of villains we'll encounter," Elder Kai said. "I'm sure Turles is just the first. Hmm. I wonder if Turles was one of those presences Audrey sensed during the mission against Raditz. Possibly that masked man in black was there, too."

"Yes, about him," The Supreme Kai said. "We don't know anything about him or what he's capable of."

"Well, we know he's strong," Elder Kai pointed out. "He was able to knock Scarlet's beam attack aside. And he managed to stave off three blasts from Hope, Nionn, and Luttice to save Nappa. And our Saiyan warriors are no pushovers. The fact he managed to do that tells us he must be quite powerful."

"And that worries me," The Supreme Kai said. "There's no telling what else he can do. We're dealing with an unknown factor here. And the only person who may have any information on this masked man is Nionn."

"Lets just hope Nionn can remember where she's seen him before," Elder Kai said. "And maybe provide us with some answers."

Having vacated the Time Nest and entering the main hub of Conton City, Cloud and his team were making their way over to the area of the city where the Time Patrollers lived. The main living quarters were close to the entrance that led to the Time Nest itself, so they didn't have far to go. The living quarters, very similar to apartments had been constructed during the rebuilding of the city to accommodate the entire team of Patrollers. As they approached the building, they saw Scarlet exiting. She smiled and waved at them.

"Hey, guys," she greeted her fellow Saiyans. "It's been a while."

"Scarlet," Cloud replied. "It's good to see you. I take it you were visiting with Kora?"

"Yeah, I was," Scarlet said. "She's feeling better, but she needs a little more rest before she's back up to full strength. I take it the Supreme Kai filled you guys in on what happened?"

"She did," Cloud said. "Good thing you showed up when you did. We would have gone ourselves, but..."

"Hey, you guys had your hands full," Scarlet interrupted. "I heard about what happened with those freaky Saibamen and even having to deal with both Nappa and Vegeta transforming into Great Apes. And that masked guy messing up everything. You couldn't exactly leave the battle so easily. Anyway, Kora's going to be alright. But I swear, if I see that bastard, Turles, again, I'll make him sorry."

"Anyway, we were just coming over to see how Kora was doing," Hope said. "Is she up for some more visitors?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you guys," Scarlet said. "Go ahead on in. I got something I need to look into, but I'll stop back by later."

Cloud and the others took their leave and entered the living quarters. Just as Nionn was passing by, Scarlet reached out and halted her.

"Hey, Nionn," she said. "Tell me something. That guy in black? Did he seem familiar to you?"

"Yeah, he did," Nionn replied. "Since you're asking, I take it he seemed familiar to you, too?"

Scarlet nodded. "I've been wracking my brain trying to remember where exactly I had seen him, and then it hit me just a few minutes ago. It was at the Galactic Patrol."

"Of course," Nionn said. "That was it! I remember seeing something about him at headquarters once. In fact, if I remember correctly, it was on the Patrol's Most Wanted list."

"I think we'd better put in a call to our old pal, Jaco," Scarlet said. "We need to find out who this guy is and what he's capable of."

Nionn nodded. "Agreed. Come on. We'll go use one of the communication kiosks."

Both women took off towards the Information Center of the town.

Kora looked up as the door opened. She thought it was Scarlet, perhaps having forgotten something, but then saw it was her other team mates.

"Nyan. Hey, everyone," she greeted. "Cloud, I'm glad to see you and the others are back safe and sound."

"How are you feeling, Kora," Hope asked. "We heard about how that jerk Turles got the jump on you."

"I'm doing alright," Kora said. "The Supreme Kai healed my wound, but told me I should rest up a bit before going out on a Patrol again. By the way, how did the mission go? Scarlet mentioned a lot of crazy stuff happened to you guys."

Cloud told Kora the entire story of what had happened, from the Saibamen, to the mystery figure in black, up to Vegeta and Nappa turning into Great Apes.

"That masked man," Kora mused. "I saw him, too. He appeared out of nowhere and saved Turles from Scarlet. Just who is he?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know," Cloud replied. "Though I think Nionn may have a clue. She seems to recognize him."

"Scarlet did, too," Kora said. "I wonder if they've met him before. Speaking of Nionn, why isn't she here?"

Everyone turned and just now noticed Nionn wasn't in the room with them.

"That's weird," Audrey said. "She was right behind us. I wonder if she's talking to Scarlet about that mystery fella."

"Hopefully they're not fighting with each other," Android #7 said.

At the Information Center, the two Saiyans in question were standing at a Communication Kiosk. Scarlet had punched in the number for the Galactic Patrol's front desk and now they waited while the call was going out, watching the screen anxiously. While they waited, Nionn decided to strike up a conversation with Scarlet.

"So, I'll bet Kora was happy to see you," Nionn said.

"She was," Scarlet replied. "And I was glad to see her, too. I've really missed her. I know we've only been gone for three weeks, but it seems like it's been much longer than that. Not to mention I've missed everyone else."

"Hmph. Even me," Nionn asked sarcastically.

"Just barely," Scarlet replied. "I certainly don't miss your snarky attitude."

"Whatever," Nionn said. "Anyway, I'm glad she's alright. I wish we could have gone to help out with that Turles guy, but those Saibamen...There was something seriously off about them. We couldn't just leave them alone and possibly go after Piccolo and the others. And you have no idea how frustrating it was to have to stand by and hold back our strength so Nappa could kill Piccolo, Chaotzu, and Tien before we could finish him off."

"I'd say I understand, but honestly, me and the others didn't have it nearly as bad when we first dealt with that mission," Scarlet said. "Towa's really upping the ante this time."

"Well, we'll just have to up the ante ourselves," Nionn replied. "If that witch thinks she's going to get the better of us, then she's really overestimating herself. Especially after all of the training we did with Colada."

"Hey, by the way, have you and Aubrey hooked up yet, or what," Scarlet asked.

"Wait! What," Nionn exclaimed. "Why are you asking me that? More importantly, _why _would I hook up with Aubrey?"

"After I got Kora settled in, we started talking. You know, catching up," Scarlet explained. "And during our conversation, she told me how Aubrey's taken quite an interest in you." She turned to Nionn, a confused expression on her face. "Wait. You mean you didn't know Aubrey likes you?"

"Of course not," Nionn said, blushing slightly. "How was I supposed to know? It's not like he announced it to me or anything! For that matter, why hasn't he said anything about it to me?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's shy," Scarlet replied. "Or he may be worried you might not like him. Honestly, I wouldn't blame him for thinking that. You're not exactly the friendly sort. And it's not like you'd care anyway."

"The hell I'm not," Nionn yelled. "I can be friendly! And what's more, I'm actually flattered someone likes me!"

"Someone who is courageous, handsome, and quite a fighter," Scarlet asked.

"Damn right he is," Nionn said, only to fall silent, her face turning bright red as she just realized what she had said.

Scarlet grinned. "Well, well, the truth comes out."

At that moment, the screen came on, revealing the Galactic Patrol's insignia.

"Ah. Looks like we got through," Scarlet said, turning her attention to the screen.

Nionn remained silent, glad for the momentary distraction. She joined Scarlet at the kiosk as the screen switched to another image, revealing a female alien with green skin and light green hair wearing the uniform of a Galactic Patroller.

"_Galactic Patrol Headquarters, this is Officer Blaire speaking. How may I help you? Oh! Scarlet, Nionn. I didn't realize it was you."_

"Hey, Blaire," Scarlet greeted. "Long time no see. Listen, is Jaco in by any chance? We need to talk to him."

"_Jaco? Oh, yes, he's in. Just a minute and I'll patch you through to his desk."_

"Thanks, Blaire," Scarlet said.

The screen switched over to the Galactic Patrol insignia again and after a moment, Jaco appeared onscreen.

"_Well, if it isn't the two renegade Saiyans. Hello, ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"_

"Hey, Jaco," Scarlet said. "I realize this is out of the blue, but I need you to do me a favor. I need you to bring up the Galactic Patrol's Most Wanted list."

"_Hold on a minute, Scarlet! You know I can't do that. It's against Galactic regulations to share such information with civilians. And since you two are no longer in the Galactic Patrol, you fall under that category, meaning I can't do it."_

"JACO, CUT THE CRAP AND GIVE US THE GOD-DAMN LIST," Nionn yelled, startling Scarlet and making Jaco flinch. "IT'S IMPORTANT!"

"Whoa, easy, Nionn," Scarlet said. She turned back to the screen. "Look, Jaco, I'm well aware of the regulations, but Nionn's right. We really need that list. It could mean the difference between life and death. Please."

Jaco sighed. _"Okay, fine. I'll bring up the list. I know you wouldn't be asking me if it wasn't something serious. But if I get in trouble for this..."_

"Just tell the Commander what happened," Scarlet said. "He'll understand."

"_It's not the Commander that worries me. It's certain other people that work here that do. Okay, stand-by. Bringing it up now."_

Just as Jaco said this, a list appeared on screen, displaying a vast number of criminals, along with their names and their crimes. Scarlet gave the list a cursory glance noting just how large it was.

"Oh, boy," she said. "It'll take us forever to get through this."

"Hey, Jaco," Nionn spoke up. "Is there any way we can narrow this down a bit? We don't really know the name of the guy we're looking for, but is there some way to go by appearance?"

"_Well, sure. If you don't know the guy's name, a description could certainly narrow it down. Just give me the details and I'll put them in and we'll see what we get."_

"We're looking for someone who dresses all in black," Scarlet said. "Head to toe. Also, he wears a helmet to completely hide his face. I think that helmet has a voice modulator in it as well, considering how the guy sounded when he spoke."

"_Okay. Black ensemble...helmet...voice modulator...And, there!"_

The list immediately changed, and now only 30 criminals were on screen.

"Alright, that's much better," Nionn said.

Both Saiyans scanned the list, checking each individual carefully. After a moment, they saw the one they were looking for.

"There! That's the guy," Scarlet said. "#25 on the list!"

Jaco typed on the keyboard and full picture of the criminal came into view displaying his name and full bio, including a list of crimes he was wanted for.

"Yep, that's him alright," Nionn said. "That's guy we saw during our patrol."

_Wait! You ran into this guy? Seriously?"_

"We sure did," Scarlet said, gazing at the picture and the name that went with it. "X. This guy showed up during a patrol Nionn, Cloud, Hope and Luttice were on. I also saw him when I went to go help Kora deal with that Saiyan, Turles."

"_Geez! I can't believe it! You actually ran into #2 of the Galactic Patrol's Most Wanted List? What are the odds? The Galactic Patrol has been searching for this guy for months now. Wait. You said he showed up during one of your patrols? If he was present during a patrol, that means he time traveled. How did he manage that?"_

"It seems X here is working with Towa," Nionn explained. "No doubt she gave him the means to time travel."

"_That woman who attacked the Time Nest two months ago? Man, this is bad. I remember all the trouble she caused. Say, isn't she capable of making people stronger or something?"_

"That's right," Scarlet replied, looking over X's bio. "The thing is, I don't think he was enhanced with Towa's magic when I saw him. He actually knocked my energy beam aside like it was nothing. And even managed to hold off three blasts from Hope, Luttice and Nionn. Which means if he's that strong without her magic, how much stronger would he be with it?"

Nionn was also reading the information on X, and what she saw filled her with dread. "Scarlet, we have to let the others know about this. This guy sounds incredibly dangerous and if he's working with Towa, then that makes him twice as dangerous."

Scarlet nodded. "Yeah. You're right. Jaco, can send me a copy of this information? I know it's against regulations..."

"_Considering the situation, Scarlet, I say screw the regulations. And I'm sure the Commander would agree with me on this. I'm sending you a copy right now."_

A few seconds later, a copy of X's file was printed out from a slot on the kiosk. Scarlet grabbed the papers and stacked them together.

"Thanks, Jaco," she said. "I owe you big time for this."

"_Hey, listen, you two be careful. I know you're both insanely strong fighters, but don't underestimate this X guy. He's not the second most wanted criminal for nothing. In fact, he was actually #3 just recently, until he tracked down the previous #2 guy and killed him. This guy sounds pretty ruthless, so watch your backs out there."_

"Will do," Scarlet said. "Thanks, Jaco. We'll be in touch." She switched off the kiosk and turned to Nionn. "Well, we got our answers."

"And just as I thought, we weren't going to like them," Nionn replied.

Back at the Time Vault, Cloud and his friends had just returned following their visit with Kora. The Supreme Kai and Elder Kai were standing over the pedestal and checking a scroll right as they entered the vault.

"Perfect timing, you guys," Elder Kai said, turning to the group. "Another change in history just occurred. We were about to call you."

"What's happening this time," Cloud asked.

"Looks like it's the time period with Planet Namek," The Supreme Kai said. "And you know what that means."

"Frieza," Cloud said. "I guess it was only a matter of time before we had to deal with him."

"But here's where it gets a bit odd," Elder Kai said. "It's not starting with the Ginyu Force as it did with Frost and the others. It's actually starting at an earlier point."

"The point in question," The Supreme Kai explained. "Is when Krillin and Gohan arrived at one of the Namekian villages being attacked by Frieza and his men. They saved a young Namekian named Dende and managed to get him to safety, despite being pursued by Frieza's henchman, Dodoria."

"However, that's not the case this time around," Elder Kai aid. "It seems this time, both Dodoria and Zarbon, another one of Frieza's top ranking henchmen, go after Krillin and Gohan. And with both of them involved, our Earthling friends won't stand a chance."

"Therefore, we need to ensure that Krillin, Gohan, and Dende not only escape, but also make sure that Zarbon doesn't go after them along with Dodoria."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Hope said. "We can beat those two in less than a minute tops."

"Don't be so flippant," Elder Kai snapped. "Remember, there's a chance that masked man may show up! Or Turles! Or maybe even someone else altogether! We have to be extra careful from now on until we know just who and what we're up against."

"Besides," The Supreme Kai said. "While you could easily overpower Zarbon and Dodoria, you can't destroy them. At least not at this point in time. Just keep them occupied until Krillin and Gohan get away. Make sure nothing happens to either of them, as well as Dende. He'll have a very important role to play during this event."

"Understood, Supreme Kai," Cloud said. "So, now the question is, who wants to take this mission?"

"Well, I haven't done one yet," Berri said. "So I'll go."

"We should probably send another Patroller along with you, Berri, just in case," The Supreme Kai said.

"I'll go," Audrey spoke up. "I really didn't get to do much during the patrol with Raditz, and I could use a little action right about now. So count me in."

"Alright, then," The Supreme Kai said. "Berri and Audrey it is. Good luck, you two. And be careful. Anything could happen out there."

"If things get out of hand, don't hesitate to call us," Cloud said. "We'll be standing by in case you need us."

"Got it," Audrey said. Then she turned to Berri. "Ready, big guy?"

"Lets do it," Berri replied.

Both Patrollers turned to the scroll and placed their hands on it, disappearing in a flash of white light. No sooner had they vanished, the doors to the vault slammed open. Everyone turned to see Scarlet, Nionn and Kora entering and descending the staircase.

"Hey, there you are," Hope said, addressing the two female Saiyans. "Where have you two been? And, Kora, should you be out of bed so soon?"

"I asked her to be here," Scarlet said. "There's something important we need to talk about regarding that masked guy." She paused, suddenly noticing something. "Where's Audrey and Berri?"

"They just left on a patrol," Luttice replied. "You just missed them."

"Crap," Scarlet swore. "I wanted everyone here to listen to what Nionn and I discovered."

"About the masked man," Elder Kai asked. "What exactly did you find out?"

"It's not good," Nionn said. "In fact, it's very bad."

_Planet Namek-Age 762..._

Amid the devastation of the Namekian village, Gohan found himself in a dire situation. Having arrived on Namek with Krillin and Bulma, he and his friend had set out to search for the Namekian Dragon Balls. However, upon arriving, they had found they weren't the only ones there. A ruthless alien named Frieza was present, along with his equally ruthless henchmen. Having arrived at a village, Gohan and Krillin had witnessed Frieza and his men kill the Namekians to obtain one of the Dragon Balls. Now, only one Namekian child remained, doomed to meet the same fate as his family and friends. That is, until Gohan intervened. Unable to stand the senseless slaughter, he had charged in, catching one of Frieza's subordinates by surprise in an attempt to save the child. However, he now found himself face to face with the tyrant Frieza and was unable to move. Frieza's presence alone frightened the young boy and he couldn't move. Frieza smiled cruelly, relishing the terror he invoked. But, just as he was about make his move...

"Idiot!"

Krillin came zooming in from above, grabbing both Gohan and the Namekian child. He hauled them into the air quickly.

"Hurry! Get out of here," he yelled.

Snapping out of his daze, Gohan powered up and took off, holding on to the child, with Krillin bringing up the rear. Back on the ground, Frieza watched indifferently as the three made their escape. Then he calmly turned to his two henchmen.

"Dodoria, Zarbon, show me your power."

"Yes, sir," they both replied, taking flight and going after the fleeing trio.

Gohan had managed to get ahead with the Namekian child, leaving Krillin to make sure they weren't being followed. Turning to glance back, he thought for a second they were safe...until he spotted the incoming Dodoria.

"Great," he muttered. "Keep going, Gohan! I'll slow him down!"

"But, Krillin," Gohan protested. "You can't take him by yourself!"

"Don't worry about me," Krillin said. "Get that kid to safety! I'll be right behind you!"

Reluctantly, Gohan nodded and took off with the Namekian child. Krillin turned around to face his opponent. He knew Gohan was right. He couldn't beat Dodoria in a fight, but he wouldn't have to. As it was, he had a plan to give the big brute the slip. As Dodoria got closer, Krillin enacted his plan.

"SOLAR FLARE," he shouted.

Instantly, there was a bright burst of light. Dodoria was caught totally by surprise. The light flashed before him, temporarily blinded.

"Argh! My eyes," he howled, rubbing furiously at his eyes.

Smiling, Krillin turned to follow after Gohan...only to find his way barred by Zarbon.

"Thought you could get away, huh," Zarbon said, smirking.

Krillin gulped. He hadn't even noticed Zarbon approach, and no doubt he had witnessed Krillin's sneak attack with the Solar Flare, meaning he wouldn't have a chance to get the drop on Zarbon with it. To make matters worse, Dodoria was starting to recover his sight.

"Now, then," Zarbon said. "Before my companion and I kill you and go after that little brat, perhaps you would be kind enough to explain who you are and why you're here."

"If I told you, I don't suppose you'd let me live, would you," Krillin asked.

"Hmm...No, I don't think so," Zarbon replied.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Krillin said, preparing himself. If he was going to die, then at least he was going to go down fighting.

Just as Zarbon and Dodoria were moving in to attack, a white light appeared before them. From the light, two figures emerged. One was a human female with blue hair and the other was a large corpulent creature with blue skin. Zarbon stared in confusion. Where had they come from?

"Hey, what's going on here," Dodoria demanded, his eyesight finally back to normal. "Who the hell are those two?"

"Who cares," Zarbon replied. "We'll deal with them, too."

Krillin took a moment to study his two new allies that had appeared. He had a feeling they were connected to those four Saiyans that had appeared to help against Vegeta and Nappa.

"Hey, there, Krillin," the blue alien greeted him. "I'm Berri. This is Audrey. We're here to help you out."

"I kind of had a feeling that was the case," Krillin said, feeling a surge of relief. If these two were as strong as the Saiyans that had helped him before, then he might get out of this alive after all.

"Listen, Krillin," Audrey said. "As soon as there's an opening, get out of here and go join up with Gohan. We'll keep these two occupied."

"How did you know about Gohan," Krillin asked. Then he shook his head. "Never mind. Alright, lets do this."

The trio turned their attention to their opponents, Audrey facing Zarbon while Berri squared off with Dodoria. Both of Frieza's henchmen smiled confidently, convinced they could easily overpower the three fighters. Zarbon moved first, attacking Audrey. He threw a punch her way, only to have her dodge it. She reached out and grabbed his arm and then lashed out with a swift and vicious kick. Winded and caught by surprise, Zarbon attacked again, finding his hits missing or blocked. Audrey would then counter attack, driving Zarbon back with fierce hits of her own.

Meanwhile, Dodoria was having the same problem with Berri. The Majin was proving to be a tough foe. No matter how quick Dodoria was, Berri was quicker, blocking his hits and then retaliating with his own. Berri landed a powerful hit to Dodoria's face, knocking him backwards.

"J-Just who the hell are you," Dodoria stammered. "How are you so strong?"

Rather than reply, Berri charged at Dodoria, landing another solid hit to him. He then grabbed his opponent and then spun around, hurling him at Zarbon. Zarbon only had a second to register the incoming Dodoria before he crashed into him.

"Get off, you fat oaf," Zarbon snarled, shoving Dodoria away.

"Hey, watch it, Zarbon," Dodoria yelled. "It's not my fault!"

While the two were arguing, Krillin saw this as his chance to escape.

"I'm making a break for it," he said. "Thanks for helping me out, you two."

"No problem, Krillin," Berri said. "Good luck."

Krillin nodded and then took off in the direction Gohan had flown off in. Zarbon and Dodoria halted their argument as Krillin retreated.

"Fool! You let him get away," Zarbon snapped. "Go after him! I'll deal with these two!"

Glaring at Zarbon, Dodoria reluctantly took off after Krillin, leaving Zarbon alone with Audrey and Berri.

"Should we go after him," Berri asked.

"I don't think we'll need to right at the moment," Audrey answered. "Dodoria was supposed to go after Krillin, remember? Lets deal with Zarbon first. Then we'll go and check on Krillin."

Berri nodded and then the two Patrollers turned to Zarbon. As they faced off against him, a dark aura surrounded him and his eyes flared red. Then he charged at his two opponents.

Elsewhere, Mira and X appeared in another area of Namek, unaware of the battle currently going on with Zarbon and the two Patrollers.

"You're sure he's here," X asked.

"I tracked him here," Mira replied. "I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise he'd be here, of all places."

"But why exactly would he come here," X wondered.

"We'll be sure to ask him when we locate him," Mira said. "I'll search in that direction. You take the other direction."

"Got it," X said.

They took off in different directions. X flew over the terrain, keeping an eye out for their target.

"Now, where are you, Slug," he said.

As he flew along, something caught his attention. Off in the distance he saw Krillin flying in a real big hurry. Soon he disappeared over the horizon and was out of sight.

"That's right. I forgot he was here during this point," X said. "I guess we'll be dealing with him and the others soon enough."

Just as he finished saying this, another person went flying past. X recognized the figure as Dodoria, one of Frieza's henchmen. No doubt he was chasing after Krillin. Suddenly, something came zooming in and struck Dodoria, knocking him out of the sky. It was Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince. X halted, watching the scene unfold. Dodoria managed to get back into the air and confronted the Saiyan Warrior.

"Well, now," X said. "Things just got a bit more interesting."

Back at the battle with Zarbon, Audrey and Berri had defeated their foe, who had promptly retreated, knowing he was clearly outmatched. The two patrollers had let him go, knowing that it wasn't the time or place to finish him off. Besides, they wanted to make sure Krillin had gotten away from Dodoria. Berri turned on his scouter and picked up a strong power level several miles away from their current location.

"I think I got a lock on Dodoria," he said. "I can't find Krillin on here, though."

"He might be keeping his power level suppressed," Audrey said, checking her own scouter. "And Dodoria's power level is still on the move, meaning he hasn't caught up with him yet. Hold on. There's another power level heading right for Dodoria."

"It couldn't be Zarbon," Berri said. "He took off in the other direction. And it's too strong to be Gohan or Krillin."

"Then who could it be," Audrey wondered.

"Lets go find out," Berri said.

Meanwhile, X was hidden nearby, watching the confrontation between Vegeta and Dodoria. At the moment, Dodoria had been trying to fight Vegeta only to find that the Saiyan Prince was not going down so easily. In fact, Vegeta had Dodoria on the ropes.

"Looks like Dodoria is in over his head," X mused. "Too bad for him. Anyway, I'd better get back to..." He fell silent as he spotted two figures approaching from another direction. It was Berri and Audrey. "Well, well, well. Look who just showed up."

Berri and Audrey landed nearby, staying out of sight as they watched the Dodoria and Vegeta conversing.

"So it was Vegeta we saw on the scouter," Berri said. "I wonder what those two are talking about?"

"Well, at least we know Krillin got away from Dodoria," Audrey said. "I guess that means our mission is accomplished."

Berri was about to reply when he suddenly sensed something. Turning, he glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source. He looked up and saw someone standing on a rocky ledge nearby, watching them.

"Audrey! Up there," Berri said, pointing.

Audrey looked up and saw what he was pointing at. It was a Namekian, dressed in a yellow outfit. He was a big, hulking Namekian and she saw he had a scar over his left eye. The Namekian stared down at the two Patrollers, a scowl on his face. Something about him made Audrey uneasy.

"Who's that," she asked. "One of the locals?"

"I don't know," Berri said. "He sure doesn't look friendly though. I got a bad feeling about this, Audrey."

Suddenly, the Namekian smiled. But it wasn't a pleasant smile.

"So, you're some of those Time Patrollers I've been hearing about," he said. He pointed at Audrey. "You, I've seen before. I watched your brother fight that weakling Saiyan, Raditz."

Audrey started. "You! You were one of the ones I sensed. And I'll bet that Turles was the other one."

"That's right," the Namekian replied. "Allow me to introduce myself: I am Lord Slug, the future ruler of the entire galaxy. And neither one of you will survive my boundless fury!"

With that, he charged at the two Patrollers. Berri and Audrey reacted quickly, managing to avoid the evil Namekian's attacks. The three fighters took flight, attacking ferociously.

"Let me guess," Berri said, knocking aside a punch from Slug. "You're working for Towa, aren't you?"

"I work for no one," Slug roared, slashing at the Majin. "For the moment my goals coincide with Towa's, so I'm going along with her plan. But soon I'll be in a position to sever ties with her. And once I have what I want, I'll make her sorry she ever assumed I was he lackey!"

Slug opened his mouth and fired off a beam of energy, hitting Berri. Fortunately, the Majin was able to weather the attack. He countered with a blast of his own, knocking Slug back. As the evil Namekian recovered, Audrey flew in and attacked him, surprising the larger fighter with her strength. Slug struck out at her with his fists, but Audrey dodged them easily, proving to be more agile than him. Slug growled in frustration.

"What's the matter, partner," Audrey asked. "Not as easy as you thought we'd be?" She struck fast, landing a solid hit to Slug's stomach, winding him.

"D-Damn you," Slug snarled. "I'll make you pay for that!"

Down below, from his hiding place, X watched Slug fight the two Patrollers, shaking his head.

"Unbelievable," he muttered. "That fool. He's just as impulsive as Turles."

At that moment, Mira appeared next to him. He gazed up at the battle going on.

"It seems we located our wayward Namekian," he commented. "Should we intervene?"

"Not yet," X said. "Let those Patrollers knock some sense into his thick skull first. Then we'll intervene."

Mira nodded, liking the sound of that idea.

"_Do you read me?"_

"Huh? Trunks? Is that you," Berri asked.

"_Yeah, it's me. I'm on my way to your location!"_

"_Hurry, Trunks," _The Supreme Kai spoke up. _"This...is all wrong somehow!"_

Suddenly, Trunks appeared and came flying in, heading straight for Slug.

"That's enough," he yelled.

"Hmph. Lucky you," Slug said, addressing Berri and Audrey, and then took off.

"Yeah, we were the lucky ones," Berri replied sarcastically.

Trunks halted before them. "Hey, you guys alright?"

"We're fine," Audrey replied, embracing Trunks. "Good to see ya, hun."

"It's good to see you, too," Trunks said. "But while I'd like to stay and get caught up, I need to go after Slug."

"I understand," Audrey said. "Go get that varmint."

"I'll see you both back at the Time Nest," Trunks said. "Frost and everyone else will be there, too."

With that, he took off after Slug.

"Trunks," X said. "These Patrollers have fine timing."

"I suppose we'd better go after him and make sure Slug doesn't get himself killed," Mira said.

"I suppose so," X said. "But before we head out, we'll leave a little something for those Patrollers to deal with."

He gestured over at Dodoria. Mira nodded, catching on to what X was getting at.

"Well, I guess now it's mission accomplished," Berri said, after Trunks was gone. "I guess Elder Kai was right. We did have to deal with someone unexpected."

"At least that masked guy didn't show up this time," Audrey commented. She glanced over to where Vegeta and Dodoria were still standing. "Looks like those two are still talking. I guess we can head back now."

Suddenly, Dodoria was surrounded by a dark aura and his eyes flared red.

"Oh, come on, really," Berri exclaimed. "It never ends!"

"Looks like we got more job to take of," Audrey said.

Both Patrollers took flight and flew towards Vegeta and Dodoria to help the Saiyan Prince.

End of Chapter Five...


	6. Chapter 6

Dragon Ball Xenoverse-Time Patrollers 2

Chapter Six: Allies Reunited! Gathering Evil!

_Namek-Age 762_

Vegeta stared in surprise as Dodoria was suddenly surrounded by a dark aura and his power level shot up. As his opponent prepared to attack, Vegeta couldn't help but think this seemed familiar.

"What the," he exclaimed. "Is this...Just like with me and Nappa? What is going on here?"

Just as he was about to go on the offensive, two figures appeared out of nowhere and landed next to him. Vegeta stared in confusion at the two mystery people.

"Who are you two," he demanded. "Where did you come from?" Suddenly a thought struck him. "Wait! Are you friends of those four Saiyans?"

"That can wait," Berri said. "We're here to help you stop Dodoria."

"I don't need any help," Vegeta protested. "I can handle a fool like Dodoria myself!"

"Too bad," Audrey snapped. "You're gettin' our help whether you like it or not! So deal with it!"

Vegeta was slightly taken aback by her outburst, but reluctantly complied. All three turned their attention to Dodoria, who eagerly slammed his fists together.

"You two again, huh," he said. "Good. I'm looking forward to paying you back for earlier!"

"Things aren't going to be any different this time, Dodoria," Berri said. "You're going to lose here just like before."

"Stop mocking me," Dodoria raged, his eyes flaring red.

Dodoria charged at his opponents, heading straight for Vegeta first. The Saiyan Prince dodged his attack and struck back. Dodoria staggered slightly but recovered quickly and countered. Fortunately, Berri moved in and intercepted the hit, allowing Audrey to attack Dodoria, knocking him off his feet. Vegeta took advantage of this and fired off a barrage of ki blasts at Dodoria, stunning him.

"Damn it," Dodoria growled. "First those runts from before? And now Vegeta? Just what's going on here? Are these Earthlings your allies, Vegeta?"

"I don't even know these two," Vegeta replied. "Though what would Earthlings be doing here?"

"It doesn't matter anyway," Dodoria said. "I'll destroy all three of you!"

"Someone's in denial," Audrey commented.

While the two Patrollers dealt with Dodoria, Trunks was pursuing Lord Slug. It wasn't long before he caught up with the evil Namekian, who was waiting for him.

"Well, you're persistent, aren't you," Slug said, as Trunks halted before him.

"Slug. I want answers," Trunks said. "Where's Towa? And just what is she up to?"

"Ha! What makes you think I'm going to tell you anything," Slug retorted.

With that, he charged at Trunks, who met his attack head on. The hulking Namek swung his fists at Trunks, who managed to block them. He then struck back, catching Slug off guard. He followed up with another barrage of attacks, driving Slug back. Snarling, the Namekian swung his arm and hit Trunks, knocking him backwards. Trunks managed to recover as Slug flew towards him to continue his attack. Trunks surprised his opponent with a quick blast of ki. Slug narrowly dodged the blast, but that left him wide open. Trunks struck fast and hard, sending Slug flying through the air and crashing to the ground.

As Slug hauled himself to his feet, Trunks landed and approached him.

"Last chance, Slug," he said. "Tell me what I want to know."

"Never," Slug growled.

"Have it your way," Trunks replied.

However, just as he was about to finish his foe off, someone appeared right in front of Trunks, blocking his way and preventing him from getting at Slug.

"Mira," Trunks gasped.

"I'm afraid I can't let you destroy him, Trunks," Mira said. "He's vital to Towa's plans."

Upon saying this, he struck out at Trunks, catching him by surprise. Trunks recovered and turned Super Saiyan. Then he rushed Mira, striking out at him with a fierce barrage of attacks.

Off to the side, Slug watched the battle unfold before him, wondering if he should join in the battle or take his leave. As he pondered his options, he didn't notice X appear behind him.

"You and Turles are sure making a mess of things," X said.

Startled, Slug whirled around to confront the masked mercenary. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Never mind that," X said. "I'm here to take you back."

"Take me back," Slug exclaimed. "Who do you think you are? I'm not some underling you can just..."

He got no further. X lashed out, punching Slug hard in the stomach. Slug gasped and then lurched forward, blacking out. X caught him and then slung the unconscious Namekian over his shoulder.

"If it were up to me, I would have just killed you on the spot," X said. "But Towa needs you alive...for now."

Turning, he disappeared, taking Slug with him.

Up in the air, Trunks was struggling against Mira. He was proving to be even stronger than Trunks had expected, signifying that Towa had managed to strengthen him further since their last encounter.

"It's over, Trunks," Mira said. "I'm far stronger than you."

"Maybe," Trunks conceded. "But I have something you don't, Mira?"

Suddenly, a blue energy beam streaked down and struck Mira, knocking him off balance. Recovering quickly, Mira glanced up to see where the attack had come from. Flying in were three figures he recognized: Frost, Sorbet and Belias.

"I have reinforcements," Trunks said.

Mira was tempted to stay and attack the incoming Patrollers, but decided now was not the time. Besides, he saw that X and Slug were gone, meaning the mercenary had taken the rogue Namekian back to their rendezvous spot. Their job here was accomplished. He would have another opportunity to deal with his enemies soon enough.

"Another time, Trunks," Mira said, and then disappeared.

Frost and his two companions arrived just as Mira vanished.

"Trunks? Are you alright," Frost asked.

"I'll be fine," Trunks said. "But it looks like Slug got away."

"You're certain it was Lord Slug," Belias asked.

"I don't know any other evil Namekians going by that name," Trunks said.

"I see," Belias said. He fell silent, a contemplative look on his face.

"Belias? Is everything alright," Sorbet asked.

"If it really is Lord Slug," Belias said, "Then I want to be there the next time he appears."

"Why," Trunks asked.

"Lets just say, he and I have some unfinished business," Belias said.

Everyone waited for him to elaborate further but he remained quiet. Frost wondered just what his friend had meant, but decided not to press the issue further. Belias would tell them when he was ready.

"So what now," Sorbet asked.

"Why don't we head back to the Time Nest," Trunks said. "I told Audrey and Berri we'd meet up with them there."

"Sounds good," Frost said. "We've been away for a while. We could use some time to rest and recover and it would be nice to see everyone."

"Alright then," Trunks said. "Lets go."

Meanwhile, Dodoria had finally had enough. Realizing he was no match for his opponents, he turned tail and fled, zooming away with as much speed as he could muster. For the first time in his life, he felt genuine fear. Other than Frieza, he had never been afraid of anyone else. But these mystery fighters were on a whole nother level. And Vegeta! He was actually stronger than before! He had to get back to Frieza and warn him of what had happened!

However, he never made it. Vegeta powered up and then sent a massive blast of ki energy after the fleeing Dodoria. Dodoria turned just in time to see the blast wave coming towards him. He attempted to halt it, but the attack overwhelmed him, destroying him in an instant. Down on the ground, Vegeta smirked triumphantly.

"Frieza is afraid of Saiyan potential," he said. "Of my potential." He turned to confront his two allies, only to find that they were gone. "Just who were those two? And were they connected to those four Saiyans from before? Something is going on here, and I intend to find out what it is."

_The Time Nest..._

Audrey and Berri appeared before their gathered allies, and were a bit surprised to see Scarlet and Kora were also present.

"Welcome back," the Supreme Kai greeted them.

"Good job, you two," Elder Kai added.

"Thanks," Berri said. "But unfortunately, Slug got away."

"Don't worry, Berri," The Supreme Kai said. "I'm sure we'll be seeing him again before long. Turles, too."

"Was there any sign of that masked man," Elder Kai asked.

"We didn't see the sidewinder," Audrey said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he was sneaking around there."

"Speaking of which," The Supreme Kai said. "Scarlet and Nionn managed to get some information about our mysterious enemy. We were waiting for you two to get back so you could hear about it as well."

At that moment, they heard the doors to the Time Vault open. Turning, everyone looked up towards the top of the stairs and saw four figures standing there.

"Good to have you back."

The four figures descended the staircase and stood before them, revealing it to be Trunks, Frost, Sorbet and Belias.

"Welcome back to you, too," The Supreme Kai greeted them.

"Hey, guys," Hope spoke up. "Good to see ya."

"Hello, everyone," Frost greeted back. "It's good to see all of you as well. Cloud, how has everything been going?"

"So far, so good," Cloud replied. "Though we've been having some difficulties on our last couple of missions."

Frost nodded. "So we've heard. Not just Turles and Slug, but that mysterious man in black, as well."

"Whom, I believe, Scarlet and Nionn were about to shed some light on," Elder Kai spoke up.

"Yes, good point, Elder," The Supreme Kai said. "Scarlet, Nionn, since everyone is here now, would you mind sharing the information you discovered?"

Scarlet nodded, holding up a piece of paper showing the mystery man. "Okay, everyone, here's the deal. The guy we're dealing with is a criminal mercenary known as X, #2 on the Galactic Patrol's Most Wanted List."

"#2, huh," Hope said. "So we're not just dealing with some small time crook then."

"You got that right," Nionn said. "This guy is a complete mystery. No one knows where he came from, who he really is, what he really is. Hell, thanks to that voice modulator, we don't even know if he's a he. It may even be a woman for all we know."

"There's no DNA record of him, or her, anywhere," Frost asked.

"Afraid not," Nionn replied. "Wearing that helmet not only hides his identity, but also prevents any hair from being recovered. Not to mention he wears gloves so he doesn't leave any fingerprints. And no one has ever been able to get a blood sample either. This guy is super careful not to leave anything behind to identify him."

"And he's dangerous," Scarlet said. "He's wanted for murder, destruction of private and public property, and even robbery. From what we've learned, he killed several Galactic Patrollers during a standoff between him and his gang."

"He has a gang," Aubrey asked.

"He _had _a gang," Nionn said. "It took a lot, but they were eventually taken into custody and sentenced to life in a Galactic prison complex, one of the most secure complexes the Patrol has, in fact."

"But it seems X managed to avoid getting arrested," Belias said.

"Yeah, but he didn't exactly walk away without a scratch," Scarlet replied. "The Commander of the Patrol was there during the arrest of X's gang. X tried to fight the Commander, but he underestimated him. The Commander gave X a serious beat-down. X had no choice but to flee, leaving his gang behind to be taken in."

"You've mentioned this Commander before," Sorbet said. "He must be pretty tough if he was able to beat a dangerous criminal like X."

"Nyan. The Commander is strong," Kora said. "I remember when I first met him. He was quite impressive."

"If memory serves me right, I recall hearing something in regards to the Commander of the Galactic Patrol," Frost spoke up. "It was just a rumor, but I heard that even Frieza would go out of his way to avoid trouble with him."

"Wow! He's that strong," Cloud asked, in amazement. "I always wondered how the Galactic Patrol managed to stay in business with someone like Frieza running around."

"If this Commander is so strong, why didn't he deal with Frieza," Luttice asked.

"Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple," Scarlet replied. "The Frieza Empire was pretty expansive and the Commander didn't want to risk all-out war with them. So there was a bit of an uneasy truce between the Patrol and the Frieza Force. It hardly matters now, though. In the end Goku defeated Frieza. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. X got away, but was pretty banged up from his scuffle with the Commander. After that, he disappeared and no one had seen or heard from him for some time."

"Until now," The Supreme Kai said. "It seems Towa decided to recruit him to help her out."

"And she chose well," Hope said. "I fought that guy. He was tough."

"Not to mention he easily knocked aside my beam attack," Scarlet said. "And managed to block Cloud, Nionn and Luttice's energy attacks."

"It seems he's gotten stronger since his fight with the Commander," Nionn surmised. "He must have gone through some intense training before he resurfaced."

"As if we don't have enough problems right now," Android #7 said. "Bad enough we have to deal with Towa and Mira, but now we have Slug, Turles and this X guy on top of everything else."

"Not to mention there's the possibility Towa could recruit other villains as well," Elder Kai pointed out. "We've really got our hands full here."

"If only we could've caught up with Towa and Mira," Trunks said. "Then we could've put a stop to all of this once and for all. Unfortunately they keep giving us the slip."

"Don't worry about it, Trunks," the Supreme Kai said. "If they were that easy to catch, we'd have gotten them already."

"Sooner or later, they will slip up," Frost said. "And when they do, we'll be there to deal with them."

"Still, I wonder where they're hiding," Trunks said. "And what they're planning at this very moment..."

?...

The area was desolate, composed of ruined buildings and craters, some of which were smoking. Turles lowered his hand, the glow of energy fading from it.

"Whew. Looks like I overdid it a bit," he commented, surveying the damage.

The Saiyan warrior had just recovered from his injuries inflicted on him during his battle with Scarlet. He had spent that time seething over his humiliating defeat, waiting for Towa to return, no doubt to chew him out for going off on his own. Now fully recovered, he had just finished destroying most of the surrounding area, mostly to vent his frustration, but also to make sure he was back up to full fighting strength. He was pleased to see that not only was he back up to his full fighting strength, but his power had risen quite a bit. He had to admit, if there was one good thing about his loss, it was the zenkai boost all Saiyans received after recovering from a fierce battle. And Scarlet had been a fierce opponent. Well, soon he would have the strength to surpass her, as well as Kakarot. And then they would both die by his hands.

Feeling somewhat better, Turles sat down on the ground, leaning back against one of the buildings. He cast a sideways glance at the other figure standing nearby. Lord Slug was leaning against the same building, arms crossed, a scowl on his face. Slug had just returned, or rather, had been brought back by X. The Mercenary had told Slug to remain here until Towa showed up and had then left, not even bothering to acknowledge Turles. For a good while, Slug had fumed angrily about being treated like some underling, ranting and cursing X and even Towa and Mira. Eventually, his anger somewhat spent, he had fallen silent, brooding in quiet anger. Turles had decided to keep his distance and not say anything to the temperamental Namekian. The last thing he wanted was an unnecessary fight with his current ally.

"I've been looking for you."

Both Turles and Slug looked up at the sound of the voice. One they recognized, in fact. The owner of the voice approached and slammed the pointed end of her staff into the ground, chipping the already damaged street. Standing before them was Towa, and she didn't look happy.

"Turles. Slug," she practically spat their names. "You're not the easiest people to find."

"Towa," Turles said, by way of greeting.

Slug, on the other hand, just grunted an acknowledgment. At that moment, Mira appeared, and stood next to Towa, his glaring gaze fixed on the Saiyan and Namekian.

"I believe I told you never to act on your own," he chastised them. "You realize your actions could have ruined everything?"

"What I do is none of your damn business," Slug growled, finally speaking up.

Turles suddenly tensed as two more figures appeared and joined Towa and Mira. One he immediately recognized as X. But the other one...It was obvious to Turles this one was a Saiyan, but his face was hidden by a mask with glowing eyes and a blue stone set in the forehead. He had not met this person yet. Had Towa recruited another ally? Before he could ask just who he was, Slug stepped in, continuing his tirade.

"Don't order me around, Mira," he snarled, heedless of the obvious danger he was placing himself in. "I don't recall ever becoming your servant! I'm only cooperating with you for now so I can have my revenge on that Saiyan brat, but that's all!"

"Revenge is all well and good," X spoke up. "But it's not yet time for that. You went in underestimating those Time Patrollers and almost got killed. Kind of hard to get revenge when you're dead."

"He's right," Mira said. "Towa brought you into this, and as such, you will obey her orders and there will be no more wandering off to settle personal vendettas." He glanced over at Turles. "From either of you."

"Who the hell do you think you are, speaking to me like that," Slug yelled. "I'm warning you..."

X and Mira both stepped forward, ready to teach Slug a lesson. At that point, Turles decided this had gone on long enough and wisely intervened, stepping in between the three of them.

"Now, now," he said placatingly. "We mustn't bicker among ourselves. After all, we're all allies here." He turned to Towa. "My apologies, Towa. We lost sight of the goal and allowed our need for revenge to get the better of us. I assure you, it won't happen again. We certainly don't want to forfeit our rewards for our services." He turned to Slug. "Right, Slug?"

Slug scowled at Turles but, reluctantly, he backed down. Mira and X also relaxed.

"Lets just hope you will keep that promise, Turles," Towa said. "At any rate, I have a mission for both of you."

"And we're ready for it," Turles said. "Oh, one thing before we head out. Do you have what I asked for?"

"Yes," Towa replied. "You can take it with you. It should prove quite useful." She held out her hand and two strange looking fruit appeared. She handed one to Turles and then Slug.

"What exactly are those," X asked.

"Fruit from the Tree of Might," Towa explained. "However, this type is special compared to the original fruit. The Demon Realm has amplified the effects, making it even more potent than before. Whoever eats it will gain incredible power beyond compare."

"Interesting," X commented. "Maybe I should try some of that."

Turles stared eagerly at the fruit in his hand, a crafty smile on his face. "With this, I'll be able to crush Kakarot with a single blow. You can count on that."

"Well, you know what to do," Towa said. "And you have what you need. This should give you an advantage should those Patrollers show up."

"Hmph. I wonder about that," Slug grumbled, stashing the fruit in his pocket.

Both Slug and Turles turned away from the group and walked off, heading out for their assignment. X watched them go and then turned to Towa.

"I suppose I'd better get going as well," he said. "If only to keep an eye on those two and make sure they don't mess up."

"You know," Mira spoke up, turning to Towa. "You should really just reprogram those two."

"I agree with him," X said. "It would make them more manageable. After all, you did it with him." He gestured at the masked Saiyan. "And he seems to be working out just fine."

"They're fine, you two," Towa assured Mira and X. "Besides, why bother anyway? They're wreaking havoc throughout history well enough on their own."

"Sure," X conceded. "When they have someone pointing them in the right direction. Still, you are the one calling the shots here, so I'll go along with whatever you say."

"Don't worry," Towa said. "I have everything well in hand."

X turned his gaze to the masked Saiyan standing silently nearby.

_Well in hand, _he thought. _Lets hope you're right, Towa._

_The Time Nest..._

"Supreme Kai," Cloud said. "You and Elder Kai told us about Turles earlier, but what's the story with Lord Slug? Where does he fit into all of this?"

"I get the feeling he's no ordinary Namekian," Berri said. "He seemed different from other Namekians."

"You're quite right, Berri," Elder Kai said. "Slug isn't your ordinary garden variety Namekian. He is in fact a Super Namekian. They were a group of Namekians who obtained a much stronger form of power by achieving a higher level of consciousness. Piccolo actually managed this after he fused with Nail and Kami."

"For the most part, Super Nameks are benevolent," The Supreme Kai said. "However, a few of them ended up going out of control. Because of this, the Namekians had no choice but to use the Dragon Balls to banish the Super Nameks. Slug was one of those Super Namekians."

"Slug was another enemy Goku fought against," Elder Kai explained. "He came to Earth with his army of demons to terraform the planet to his liking and rule over it. Of course, Goku was able to defeat Slug and save the planet."

"So, Turles and Slug," Frost mused. "Two villains defeated by Goku, obviously out for revenge. Which makes them the perfect recruits for Towa."

"So what about X," Hope asked. "Why is he helping Towa? I doubt he's in it for revenge, unlike Turles and Slug. Chances are he's never even fought Goku before."

"I highly doubt he has," The Supreme Kai said. "No doubt the price for his services was something else. Probably money. He is a mercenary after all."

"Who cares what he wanted," Scarlet said. "The point is he's helping Towa and that makes him an enemy. And we're going to take him down along with that witch and anyone else she throws our way."

Everyone nodded in agreement to that.

"So for now, Belias, Scarlet, Sorbet, Trunks, and I will continue our pursuit of Towa and Mira," Frost said. "And while we're doing that, Cloud and the rest will keep up with the patrols and deal with any anomalies."

"For now though, why don't you guys take a little time to rest up," The Supreme Kai suggested. "You've been away for three weeks now. There's no need to rush off again so soon."

"Sounds good to me," Sorbet said. "I wouldn't mind a little downtime before going out again."

"And meanwhile," The Supreme Kai continued. "I have other things to do." She turned and began walking away form the group.

"Other things," Android #7 asked. "What other things?"

"Tokitoki is going to lay an egg soon," The Supreme Kai answered.

The room fell silent, with everyone gathered staring in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Nionn said. "What?"

"I said, Tokitoki is going to lay an egg soon," The Supreme Kai replied. "And I have to make sure everything is ready for when it arrives."

"Oh! How about that," Elder Kai said. "Congratulations, then."

"Hold on," Scarlet said. "I'm confused. You're excited Tokitoki is laying an egg? Why?"

"And does this mean that Tokitoki is actually a girl," Sorbet asked.

"I suppose we never really explained it before," Elder Kai said. "Tokitoki is a divine bird that manipulates time. His eggs hold the time for a brand new universe."

"To put it simply, Tokitoki's eggs have the power to create time itself," The Supreme Kai said. "That's why making sure Tokitoki produces healthy eggs is so important. It's one of the many duties of the Supreme Kai of Time."

"Wow. That's...amazing," Berri said.

"I always suspected Tokitoki was special," Frost said. "But I never realized just how special. To think he's capable of such a thing."

"To think I'll actually get to see the start of a new history," Elder Kai said. "All of us will. You young 'uns are very lucky indeed to witness such an event."

"So, anyway, I've got to go now," The Supreme Kai said, turning to leave.

After she was gone, Android #7 turned to Elder Kai. "Hey, old man. The egg that Tokitoki is going to lay? We'll really get an actual new universe when it hatches?"

"Something like that," Elder Kai said. "But we must ensure it remains perfectly intact until then. That egg will be brimming with immense cosmic energy, so we can't let anything happen to it."

"So much power in one little egg," Frost marveled. "That's incredible."

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Hope said. "But I could go for something to eat."

"I could go for that, too," Scarlet agreed. "Lets go hit up the eatery."

Everyone was in agreement with that and together they left the Time Vault to grab some food. As they were leaving, Nionn stared at Aubrey, the earlier conversation with Scarlet echoing in her mind, and the surprising revelation that conversation had revealed. She figured sooner or later she was going to have to talk to Aubrey and figure things out. The question was, how to go about doing it?

Elsewhere, Mira went to go check in with Towa and found her looking over a scroll. He also noticed she was smiling.

"What is it, Towa," he asked. "It must be something good if you're this happy."

"Oh, it's good alright," Towa answered, barely contained glee in her voice. "I just received a message from our informant. And they have some very interesting news for us. It seems that mangy bird the Supreme Kai keeps is going to lay an egg soon."

"How will that benefit us," Mira asked.

"From what the informant tells me, this egg contains the power of time for a new universe," Towa explained. "Imagine all of that power, Mira. That egg alone holds more energy than any we could harvest from the time distortions. If we can get that egg, all of that energy would make you more powerful than Beerus himself."

"All of that power," Mira whispered. "But...is there anyway we can get that egg?"

"Oh, we'll figure out a way," Towa said. "Don't forget, we have an agent on the inside of the Time Patrol. With them in place, we can find some way to get that egg. In the meantime, we'll continue to harvest energy from the time anomalies and see about dealing with those Patrollers. But once the opportunity presents itself, we'll make our move."

"I look forward to it," Mira said.

End of Chapter Six...


	7. Chapter 7

Time Patrollers 2: Chapter Seven

The Ginyu Force Returns! An Unexpected Switch!

"Ahhh. Man, I missed this."

Scarlet stretched, sinking a bit further into the warm water. Across from her, Sorbet, Nionn, Audrey, Kora and Android #7 were also enjoying the soothing warmth of the hot springs. Having finished up with their meal, the Patrollers had retired to the hot springs for a relaxing soak before heading out for their next mission.

"I guess three weeks traveling around and searching for Towa and Mira really makes you appreciate the comforts of home, huh," Audrey said.

"That's for sure," Scarlet agreed. She glanced over at Kora. "And it makes you appreciate the people waiting for you back home."

Kora smiled, blushing slightly at Scarlet's comment.

"I know what you mean," Audrey said. "I really miss Trunks while he's gone."

"I'll admit it isn't the same without the whole team here," Android #7 spoke up. "It's nice having everyone here together. Even if it's temporary."

"Hopefully our time away will be just as temporary," Sorbet said. "If we could just catch up with Towa and Mira and finish them off..."

"Unfortunately, those two are more slippery to catch than a greased hog," Audrey said. "But sooner or later even they'll slip up and then we'll have them."

As the girls talked, Nionn had remained out of the conversation, deep in thought. More then anything, she was thinking on what Scarlet and Audrey had said when it came to having people to care about. While she wouldn't admit it out loud, she actually did want to have something like that too. To be honest, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of what Scarlet, Audrey and Sorbet had. And that thought led right back to her earlier conversation with Scarlet about Aubrey. She had never really thought of anything happening between them. She respected him as a fellow fighter and Patroller, but beyond that, nothing else. She certainly didn't think he was worthless or anything. On the contrary. She had to admit he was strong and a skilled fighter.

So why had she failed to notice his attraction towards her? Had she been so focused on her training and stopping Towa and Mira that she had simply overlooked it? And why did he feel the way he did about her? They barely knew each other for starters. And, while it wasn't easy for her to admit it, Scarlet was right about her attitude at times. Nionn heaved a sigh. What was she going to do about this?

"Hey. Why so glum, Nionn," Audrey asked, noticing the female Saiyan's somber mood.

"Huh? What," Nionn said, snapping out of her reverie. "Sorry. Just...thinking...about stuff."

Scarlet hid a smile. She had a pretty good idea just what Nionn was thinking about. Or rather, whom she was thinking about. She was about to say something when she heard the door open. Turning, she saw The Supreme Kai enter.

"Hey, girls," she greeted. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid we have a time disturbance we need to look into."

"A Patroller's work is never done," Audrey sighed, emerging from the bath.

"Elder Kai is getting the guys right now, though he did volunteer to come and get you girls," The Supreme Kai said, handing out towels to the girls.

"I'd have blasted him out the door if he had set foot in here," Scarlet growled, grabbing a towel to dry herself off.

"Any idea what we're going up against, Supreme Kai," Android #7 asked.

"Well, looks like there's still trouble in the Namek time period," The Supreme Kai replied. "Seems you guys will be going up against the infamous Ginyu Force."

"Ugh! Those clowns," Scarlet said. "No thank you. The last time I went up against them I ended up getting switched with Ginyu. And personally, I have no desire to go through that again."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that, Scarlet," The Supreme Kai assured her. "We're going to give the others a shot at the Ginyu Force. Besides, I imagine you and the others will need to be heading out soon to resume your pursuit of Towa and Mira."

"Maybe if we're lucky they'll show themselves during this patrol," Sorbet said, getting dressed.

"I doubt we'll be that lucky," Nionn said. "Chances are we'll probably run into Turles or Slug. Maybe both, for all we know. And there's the possibility X could show up, too. And that guy is going to be a much larger threat than Slug and Turles."

By now, all the girls were dressed. They exited the bath house and found the rest of the team waiting outside for them, along with Elder Kai and Trunks.

"Ah, there you are," Elder Kai greeted them. "I trust Chronoa filled you all in on what is happening?"

"Yeah, she told us," Audrey said. " The Ginyu Force."

"Correct," Elder Kai said. "However, they might not be the only threat we'll have to contend with."

"Turles and Slug," Berri said. "And maybe that X guy, too. So how do we want to handle this?"

"If this is playing out like before," Frost said. "Then Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta will need assistance with the Ginyus. Even though there are five of them, I think a few of you will suffice. However..."

"However, there is the matter of our other three enemies," The Supreme Kai said. "Therefore, we'll need to have some of you on standby just in case they show up."

"We should also take into account that Towa and Mira could appear as well," Trunks spoke up.

"Which is why I suggest we go to Namek as well and be ready to attack should they show up," Frost said. "Trunks, Scarlet, Sorbet, Belias and myself."

The Supreme Kai nodded. "Good idea, Frost. Now, we need to decide who's going to deal with the Ginyu Force. I think four of you should be enough to handle this mission. So, who would like to go?"

"I'll go," Android #7 said.

"Nyan. I'll go, too," Kora spoke up. "I'm ready to get back out there and get to work."

"Good attitude, Kora," The Supreme Kai said. "We need two more. Who else?"

"Ah, what the hell," Nionn said. "I'll go, too. I've always wanted to slug it out with the Ginyu Force."

"Count me in," Hope said. "I wouldn't mind a chance at fighting the Ginyu Force myself."

"Alright," The Supreme Kai said. "#7, Nionn, Kora and Hope will deal with the Ginyu Force, while Frost and his team will scout around Namek and keep an eye out for our other foes. And the rest will remain as standby."

"Sounds like a plan," Cloud said.

"Then lets get over to the Time Vault and get this mission started," Elder Kai said.

_Namek-Age 762..._

"Recoome!"

"Burter!"

"Jeice!"

"Guldo!"

"Ginyu!"

"To...ge...ther...we...are...THE GINYU FORCE!"

Standing before the Ginyu Force, Vegeta, Gohan and Krillin were left speechless at the over the top introduction. The Ginyus were preparing to attack them, when...

"Man. I knew you guys liked to showboat with your introductions, but that was just lame."

Ginyu and his men all gasped in shock!

"Who said that," Ginyu demanded. "Who has the audacity to insult our posing?"

Floating down from above, four figures landed next to Vegeta, Krillin, and Gohan. Two of them, the trio recognized.

"Hey! It's you guys," Krillin said, addressing Hope and Nionn. Then his gaze shifted to Android #7 and Kora. "Um, who are they? And where are the other two Saiyans who were with you last time?"

"This is Kora and #7," Hope said. "They're filling in for Cloud and Luttice, as it were."

"You guys always seem to show up at just the right time," Gohan said. "How do you always know when to show up and help us?"

"Sorry, kid," Hope said. "But I'm afraid I can't say."

Suddenly, Vegeta reached out and grabbed Hope's arm, forcing him to face him.

"Just a minute," he said. "He has a good point. Just how the hell do you always know? What is the deal with you? And more importantly, I want to know just what that power was you used against me and Nappa!"

Hope glared at Vegeta. "Let go of my arm, Vegeta. Now."

Whether it was the cold tone in his voice or the fact that Vegeta knew Hope was way stronger than him, the Saiyan Prince let go, backing away slightly.

"Look, I know you guys want answers, but I can't give them to you," Hope said.

"Can't or won't," Vegeta asked.

"Pick one," Hope snapped at him. "Right now, you need to be more concerned about those guys." He pointed at the Ginyu Force.

"Hope's right," Android #7 said. "The Ginyu Force is our top priority. So either help us deal with them, or shut up and stand back."

"Alright, fine," Vegeta growled. "But I'm not letting this matter go."

"Whatever," Android #7 said.

The group turned to face the Ginyu Force.

"Just who are they," Ginyu wondered. Then he shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Men, listen up. I'm going to deliver the Dragon Balls to Lord Frieza. In the meantime, I want you to deal with these fools. Show them no mercy. And I expect the job to be done by the time I get back. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," The Ginyus replied.

Gathering up the Dragon Balls, Ginyu took flight and headed off towards Frieza's ship, leaving his men to deal with the Time Patrollers and their three allies. Guldo and Recoome stepped forward, suddenly surrounded by dark auras.

"Guess these two are first," Hope said.

"Leave Guldo to me," Android #7 said. "Gohan, Krillin, you're with me."

"Okay," Gohan said.

"I'll deal with Recoome," Kora said.

"You," Vegeta scoffed. "I hardly think Recoome's going to be intimidated by you."

"Nyan! Don't underestimate me," Kora growled. "Unless you think you can do any better against him."

"Well, lets just see which of us does better," Vegeta said. "You up to the challenge, kitty cat?"

"Bring it on," Kora said.

The five fighters stepped forward to meet their opponents.

"This is it," Recoome laughed. "Three runts, Vegeta and a cat? I think I'm insulted, Guldo."

"Yeah, not much of a challenge for the mighty Ginyu Force," Guldo replied.

Confident they had the upper hand, the two members of the Ginyu Force moved in to attack.

"And here we go," Android #7 said, readying her own attack.

Together with Gohan and Krillin, she charged at Guldo, catching him by surprise with her speed. Guldo managed to recover from the quick attack just in time to intercept Gohan and Krillin as they closed in on him. Guldo met their attacks head on, and while he was certainly holding them off well enough, he was a bit surprised by their strength. He knocked Gohan aside and turned his attention to Krillin, throwing a punch his way. Krillin tried to block it, only to be sent flying backwards. Guldo was about to finish them off when Android #7 halted him. The two of them locked grips and struggled with each other. Despite his best efforts, Guldo soon found himself being overwhelmed by his opponent.

"Just the hell are you," Guldo demanded, panic edging into his voice. "And how are you this strong?"

In answer, Android #7 broke their grip and lashed out with a fierce kick, sending Guldo rolling across the ground. Rubbing his head as he climbed to his feet, Guldo saw that Gohan and Krillin had recovered and had rejoined their ally. The two Earthlings then took flight and started flying around Guldo at amazing speed, zig-zagging at crazy angles. Guldo attempted to follow their flight, but found it impossible. Fortunately, he had a solution to deal with them, as well as their mysterious ally.

"TIME FREEZE," he shouted.

Instantly, everything and everyone came to a halt. Guldo surveyed the area and saw Gohan and Krillin up in the air, frozen in place. They had been attempting to sneak around and surprise him. Guldo grinned. Well, he would get the drop on them. Just as he was about to attack them, he felt someone tap his shoulder. Whirling around, his eyes widened in shock! Standing right before him was Android #7! And she was still moving! Android #7 struck, punching Guldo in the stomach. His breath whooshed out of him and instantly, everything was moving again.

"H...How were...you still moving," Guldo gasped. "It's impossible."

"I have my ways," #7 replied. "I was well aware of your Time Stop ability, Guldo. Nice try, but it won't work on me."

Guldo could only stare at her in confusion. Just who was this girl? Where had she come from? And more importantly, what else was she capable of?

Meanwhile, as the trio dealt with Guldo, Vegeta and Kora were facing off against Recoome. Vegeta had moved in first and was now battering Recoome with a fierce barrage of punches and kicks. He then grabbed his larger opponent and swung him around, slamming him into the ground. He then followed this up with a powerful barrage of ki blasts. After that, the Saiyan Prince landed on the ground, smirking triumphantly.

"Looks like you didn't have to do anything after all," he said, addressing Kora. "He won't be getting up so soon after that."

"Guess again," Kora said, pointing over to where Recoome had crashed.

Vegeta stared in surprise as Recoome emerged from the smoke, a bit bruised and his uniform a bit tattered, but otherwise perfectly okay.

"Heh, heh, nice try, Vegeta," Recoome said. "I almost felt that. Now it's my turn."

He charged at Vegeta and caught him with a punch to the gut, winding Vegeta. Before the Saiyan warrior could recover, Recoome lashed out punching Vegeta repeatedly and then tossing him into the air. Recoome flew up into the air after Vegeta, continuing his relentless assault. He then grabbed the Saiyan Prince, flying straight towards the ground and pile-drived him into the ground. Recoome then hauled Vegeta up from the ground and held him up like a prize.

"So, I guess you're next, kitty cat," he said, turning to Kora. "Vegeta's definitely had enough."

Suddenly Vegeta surprised Recoome by blasting him full on in the face with a ki blast. Recoome staggered, releasing Vegeta who crashed to the ground. Kora rushed forward and struck, knocking Recoome backwards. With him temporarily incapacitated, Kora checked on Vegeta, who was looking a little worse for the wear.

"Nyan. Seriously, Vegeta," she said. "You shouldn't have attacked him on your own like that."

"Shut up," Vegeta growled, sitting up. "He definitely won't be getting up after that."

However, like before, Recoome proved Vegeta wrong as he stood up. There was no denying the blast had done significant damage to Recoome, but he was still ready to continue the fight.

"Well, Vegeta," Recoome said. "You really got me good with that one. You actually busted up my teeth."

"Great," Vegeta snarled. "What does it take to put this big oaf down?"

"Just stay put and let me deal with him," Kora said, standing up.

"What exactly can you do against him," Vegeta demanded. "If I could barely stop him, how are you..."

"That's always been your problem, Vegeta," Kora said. "You underestimate people while overestimating yourself."

She approached Recoome and stood before him. Under other circumstances it would have been a funny sight, seeing a petite cat girl facing off against a towering figure like Recoome. But the tension in the air was palpable and situation anything but laughable. Recoome stared down at Kora, a confident smirk on his face.

"So ya really want to do this, huh," Recoome said.

"That's right," Kora said, taking up a fighting stance. "I really want to do this."

"Fine with me," Recoome said. "Just don't take it too hard when I pummel you into the ground."

That's as far as he got. With blinding speed, Kora struck, taking Recoome by surprise. Recovering, he struck out...only to find the spot she had been standing in was empty. Suddenly, he staggered as he was attacked from behind. He whirled around to attack, only to catch a faint silver blur as Kora ducked under his arm and then striking upwards, catching Recoome under the chin and sending him skyward. Recoome halted his flight as Kora flew up towards him. Recoome's hands began glowing and he started lobbing energy projectiles at his opponent. Kora moved fast, dodging the incoming attacks. Breaking past Recoome's offensive volley, she closed in and attacked. The two combatants lashed out at each other. Kora's speed and agility allowed her to dodge around her foe's attacks and then counter attack. Recoome was getting frustrated. He didn't want to admit it, but he had horribly underestimated Kora.

Elsewhere, as the battle was getting underway, Frost and his team had arrived. Frost reached up and turned on his scouter, getting a read out. He immediately picked up the power levels of his companions and the Ginyu Force as they were battling each other. Another strong power level was heading away from the group and heading towards an extremely high power level.

"That must be Captain Ginyu," Frost mused. "Which means the other one must be Frieza." He turned and scanned more of the area, searching for anymore power levels that shouldn't be there. "Hmm. I don't see anything else. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"You think Turles, Slug or X will show up," Scarlet asked.

"I have a feeling one or all of them will," Trunks said. "So what now?"

"We split up and look around," Frost said. "If you come across any of our enemies, then call on the scouter. Especially if it's X, Towa, or Mira. I'm not all that worried about Slug or Turles as much, but still, if one of them is around, then the others could be nearby."

Everyone nodded and then took flight, each Patroller heading off in a different direction.

Shortly after they were gone, X appeared, along with Turles. He watched the Time Patrollers fly off in different directions.

"Too bad. They just missed us," X said. He turned to Turles. "Alright, you know what to do, right?"

"Yes, yes, I know what to do," Turles reassured him. "When the time comes, I'm supposed to assist the Ginyu Force. I'll head over to the battle right now and get ready. But while I'm doing that, what exactly are you going to be doing?"

"I have my own assignment to take care of," X said. "Just take care of your part and I'll deal with mine. And remember, wait for the right moment to make your move."

Turles nodded and then took off, heading for where the Patrollers were facing the Ginyu Force. X watched him depart and then flew off towards Frieza's ship. A few moments later, he arrived. Suppressing his power level and staying out of sight, he landed nearby and hid behind one of the ship's landing struts. Peering from around his hiding place, X observed Ginyu and Frieza as they attempted to use the dragon balls. However, X knew that nothing would happen. And sure enough, the balls remained dormant. And as expected, Frieza was livid. X listened to him rant and rave until Ginyu suggested finding some Namekians to tell them how to use the dragon balls. After checking their scouters, they located three Namekian energy signatures. Frieza got into his hover pod and then took off in that direction, leaving Ginyu alone to guard the dragon balls.

"Time to make my move," X said.

He emerged from his hiding place and approached Ginyu. The Captain noticed him and immediately moved in front of the dragon balls.

"Hold it right there," he said. "Who are you? Are you after the dragon balls? Because if you are..."

"Relax, Captain," X said, holding up his hands placatingly. "I'm not after the dragon balls. On the contrary, I'm here to ensure no one else takes them from you."

Ginyu stared at X suspiciously. "Really? You'll forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe."

"Understandable," X replied. "One can't be too careful when it comes to the dragon balls. However, the ones you really need to be worrying about are Vegeta and those two Earthlings."

"Them? They have no chance at getting the dragon balls back," Ginyu said.

"Not on their own, perhaps," X said. "But what about their new allies?"

Ginyu recalled the four mysterious people that had appeared just before he had taken off with the dragon balls.

"You know something about them," Ginyu asked.

"I know enough," X said. "And I know they're going to be a problem for you. Even as we speak, they're mopping up the floor with your men."

"Impossible," Ginyu said. "The Ginyu Force are the elite squadron of Lord Frieza. There's no one out there who can best us."

"Oh, really," X scoffed. "Why don't you check your scouter and see how well they're doing."

"Fine. I'll do that," Ginyu said, confident he was right.

He tapped the button on his scouter and scanned the area where his men were currently dealing with Vegeta and his allies. His confident smirk abruptly faded and was replaced by shock! One of the power levels representing his men disappeared from the screen. Judging from the remaining levels, he knew it had to be Guldo. Two of them, Burter and Jeice, no doubt, were currently standing by, while the remaining one, Recoome, was engaged in battle at the moment, but the power level he was dealing with wasn't going down so easily.

"This...this can't be," he gasped. "One of my men is dead and the other is actually being fought to a standstill!"

"I told you," X said. "These fighters are not to be underestimated. And believe it or not, another strong fighter will soon be arriving. And he'll make short work of your remaining men."

"I have to do something," Ginyu said. "If Lord Frieza hears about this..."

"Now just hold on," X said. "You go rushing off without a plan, you'll be in the same boat as your men."

"Hmph. And I suppose you have a plan," Ginyu asked. "Just to be clear, I'm not still not so sure about you."

"Look, if I wanted to, I could have ambushed you and taken the dragon balls for myself," X replied. "I don't care if you fully trust me or not, but what you can trust is that you'll be in big trouble with Frieza if something isn't done about this."

Ginyu couldn't argue with that. "Alright, fine. I'll go along with your plan, for now. So just what do you have in mind?"

"Follow me," X said. "I'll explain along the way."

X took flight and flew away from Frieza's ship, Ginyu following after him.

Back at the battle with the Ginyu Force, Android #7 had just finished off Guldo with a little help from Krillin and Gohan.

"So much for him," #7 commented.

"Man, I'm glad you're on our side," Krillin said. "You and your friends."

"Speaking of which," Android #7 said. "How are Kora and Vegeta doing?"

The trio glanced over to where the fight against Recoome was taking place. Vegeta had managed to get back on his feet, though they saw that there was no need for him to do anything. Recoome was down on the ground and Kora was standing nearby, watching him.

"Looks like she took that big guy down," Krillin observed.

"It's not over yet," Android #7 said.

Sure enough, Recoome's eyes opened and he lept to his feet.

"I'm getting bored," he said. "Can I end this now?"

"Take your best shot," Kora replied.

Recoome grinned in anticipation. "RECOOME...ULTRA...FIGHTING...Ngh!"

Recoome fell silent, a look of surprise on his face. Standing right in front of him was Goku! The Saiyan warrior had just appeared out of nowhere and had landed a hard hit to Recoome's stomach. Recoome staggered and then collapsed. This time, he didn't get back up.

"Now it's over," Android #7 said.

"Goku," Krillin exclaimed.

"Daddy," Gohan said.

Across from them, Burter and Jeice could only stare in shock!

"I...I don't believe it," Jeice gasped. "Guldo and even Recoome! And with just one hit!"

"That's impossible," Burter said. "That attack should have been nothing! Just who the heck are these guys?"

Even Vegeta was a bit surprised by the way Goku had managed to take out Recoome so easily.

"How did Kakarot get so strong," he wondered. "He was nowhere near this strong on Earth. What happened?"

Goku approached his friends and stopped in front of Kora. "Hey, Kora. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you're alright after that run in with Turles. I never got the chance to thank you for helping me."

"Nyan. Don't mention it, Goku," Kora said.

"Hope, Nionn," Goku greeted the other two Saiyans. "Good to see you two again." He gazed down at Android #7. "Um, I don't think I've met you yet."

"My name is #7," she replied. "Nice to meet you, Goku."

"So just who are these guys anyway," Goku asked, indicating the Ginyu Force.

"They're called the Ginyu Force," Hope explained. "They work for a guy named Frieza."

"Frieza, huh," Goku said. "I heard about him from King Kai. He's supposed to be very strong."

"That's an understatement," Nionn said. "Frieza is known as the most powerful being in the galaxy and even runs his own empire. And these Ginyu goons work for him."

"Well, at least two of them are taken care of," Android #7 said. "But there are two more left. Not to mention there's still their leader, Captain Ginyu."

"Lets deal with Jeice and Burter first," Hope said. "I imagine we'll be dealing with Ginyu soon enough."

"Alright," Nionn said. "Me, Hope, Goku and Vegeta will handle those two."

"Nyan. I guess #7 and I will just wait here and watch," Kora said.

"Actually, I have a favor to ask you," Goku said. "Would you and #7 go with Gohan and Krillin and find the dragon balls? We're going to need them to revive our friends."

"No problem," Android #7 said. "We'll see you guys later."

As they were turning to leave, Hope stopped Kora and Android #7. "Be on your guard. Our enemies could show up at anytime. And don't forget, Frieza is still running around out there."

"Got it," Android #7 said. "Lets go, Kora."

The four of them took off, heading in the direction of Frieza's ship, leaving the four Saiyans to deal with Burter and Jeice. However, before the fight was about to begin, Vegeta suddenly took off, following after Gohan and the others.

"Hey! Vegeta," Goku called after him. "Where's he going?"

"If I had to guess, he's probably going after the dragon balls," Nionn said.

"Let him go," Hope said. "We can handle these two ourselves. Besides, if he tries anything, he'll have to deal with Kora and #7."

The three remaining Saiyans turned their attention towards the two members of the Ginyu Force, both sides taking up fighting stances.

Elsewhere on Planet Namek, Trunks was taking a moment to scan the area, watching for anything suspicious. So far the only power levels he had picked up were the ones he knew were supposed to be there: Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, Goku, the three remaining Namekians, Frieza, the remaining members of the Ginyu Force, and his fellow Time Patrollers.

"Nothing," he said. "But I know they must be here. I can feel it."

"Looking for someone?"

Trunks whirled around and found himself face to face with X.

"You," Trunks said. "I knew one of you would show up sooner or later!"

"Pretty frustrating not being able to pick us up on those scouters, isn't it," X taunted. "Did you honestly think Towa wouldn't have a way to keep our presences undetectable?"

"Honestly, no," Trunks said. "If there's one thing I've come to learn about Towa, it's that she always finds ways to outmaneuver us."

"You don't know the half of it," X laughed. "If you only know what she has in store for you and the other Patrollers."

"And just what is that supposed to mean," Trunks said, pressing the button on his scouter, alerting Frost and the others. "What does Towa have in store for us?"

"I'm not telling," X said. "Why spoil the surprise? And speaking of surprises..."

Trunks tensed, wondering what the masked mercenary was planning, when...

"CHANGE NOW!"

Trunks turned at the sound of the voice and saw a bright flash of purple light...

Meanwhile, the three Saiyans were busy fighting Burter and Jeice, though the fight was pretty one-sided, with the Saiyan warriors proving to be much stronger than their foes. Nionn and Hope were dealing with Burter while Goku fought against Jeice.

"Damn it," Jeice raged. "The Ginyu Force will not be insulted by apes like you! We're the most elite warriors in the galaxy!"

"You used to be," Nionn said. "But not anymore."

"Says you," Burter exclaimed. "We'll show you! Nobody upstages the Ginyu Force!"

"_Ho-ho! Just look at them! They're panicking," _Elder Kai spoke up over the scouters. _"Well, with Goku there, everything should be fine."_

"_Wait a minute," _The Supreme Kai broke in. _"Hope, Nionn! Someone is approaching you!"_

"What," Hope asked. "Where?"

"Hold it," Nionn said, her scouter beeping. "She's right! Someone is heading this way!"

"_Bad news," _The Supreme Kai said. _"It's Turles!"_

"So he finally decided to show himself," Hope remarked.

Just as he finished saying this, Turles appeared, landing right beside Burter and Jeice.

"Ah! It's that guy again," Goku exclaimed. "Turles!"

"What...Who the hell are you," Burter demanded, turning his attention to Turles.

Turles smiled evilly. "Just think of me as an ally. I've brought a gift." He held up a strange looking fruit which was surrounded by dark energy.

"Fruit," Jeice asked. "How is that going to help us?"

"Oh, this is no ordinary fruit," Turles said. "This will give you an amazing boost of power. More than enough to deal with those fools."

For a moment, Burter and Jeice considered what Turles had told them, then they took the fruit being offered to them willingly.

"_Stop Turles," _The Supreme Kai said. _"He's giving them fruit from the Tree of Might!"_

Before the three Saiyans could react, Burter and Jeice had eaten the fruit. Suddenly, they were surrounded by dark auras and their power levels skyrocketed.

"Whoa," Hope exclaimed. "You guys feel that?"

"_We were too late," _The Supreme Kai said.

"What happened," Goku asked. "Their energy levels suddenly shot way up!"

Turles then disappeared and the two Ginyus moved in to attack. Jeice targeted Goku, while Burter resumed his attack on Hope and Nionn. Hope managed to block Burter's punch, but he could feel the intense strength behind the hit, signifying just how much the fruit had increased his strength.

"Damn! That fruit really powered him up," Hope said. "Nionn, I'm not sure if Goku will be able to handle Jeice alone as long as he's powered up like that! Go help him! I can handle Burter!"

"Got it," Nionn said. She broke off from the attack and flew over to where Goku was fighting Jeice.

Burter ignored Nionn and continued his relentless assault on Hope. The Saiyan Patroller managed to hold his own against the enhanced Ginyu soldier, but there was no denying he was way more powerful than before.

_Now I see why the Supreme Kai and Elder Kai were so worried about that fruit, _he thought. _It's way too dangerous in the hands of guys like Turles. And especially guys like the Ginyu Force._

Knowing there was little choice in the matter, Hope decided it was time to step it up. With a flash of golden light, he transformed into a Super Saiyan. Burter only had a second to register this transformation before Hope attacked him. Fortunately, despite the effects of the fruit, Burter wasn't strong enough to deal with a Super Saiyan. Hope pummeled Burter mercilessly, driving him back. Then, powering up, he finished his opponent off with a blast of ki energy.

"Now to deal with Jeice," he said, heading over to where Nionn and Goku were dealing with Jeice.

Goku and Nionn were managing against Jeice, though just barely. Nionn was considering whether she should go Super Saiyan when Hope came flying in to help out. Despite his power-up, Jeice was now finding it a bit difficult to deal with three Saiyans. Suddenly, his dark aura vanished and his power diminished slightly.

"Hey! What's going on," he exclaimed.

"His power level just went down," Goku said.

"I guess the power of the fruit was temporary," Hope said.

"Which means he's easy pickings now," Nionn said.

"Hold on," Goku said. "I can sense someone approaching. It's not Gohan, or Krillin. And it's definitely not Vegeta. Maybe it's one of your friends?"

"Maybe," Hope said, sensing the approaching power level. It did feel familiar, and yet...

Suddenly, someone came swooping down out of the sky and landed right next to Jeice. And it was someone Hope and Nionn immediately recognized.

"Trunks," Hope said. "What are you doing here?"

Trunks remained quite for a second, staring at the three Saiyans, then, smiling, he struck a dramatic pose.

"Ooh, hoo-hoo-hoo! Captain Ginyu of the Ginyu Force has arrived," he announced in a voice that was clearly not his.

End of Chapter Seven...


	8. Chapter 8

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2-Time Patrollers

Chapter Eight: The Big Switch! Nail in Trouble!

"I'm picking up Trunks's scouter just ahead," Scarlet said, watching the screen. "I don't like the fact I'm not picking up Trunks on the screen though."

"I hope he's alright," Sorbet said.

Frost hoped so too. He and his three companions were currently en route to where Trunks's scouter was giving off a signal. The signal had come in over their own scouters, alerting them to trouble. Immediately they had flown off in that general direction, meeting up along the way. Frost surmised Trunks had encountered their enemies and had called for back-up. However, they weren't picking up Trunks's energy signature on their scouters, and that worried Frost. Had he been ambushed? Was he injured and unable to respond? Or was he...

"Look," Belias said. "Down there!"

Swooping down, the four patrollers landed. Laying on the ground was a scouter, Trunks's scouter. But there was no sign of their ally, alive or otherwise. Frost wasn't sure whether he should be relieved or worried by that.

"I don't like this," he said aloud. "Trunks obviously called for help, but there's no sign of him. Just his scouter."

"You don't think he's..." Sorbet fell silent, reluctant to say out loud what most of them were thinking.

"Hey, don't even think that," Scarlet said. "Trunks is tough. There's no way he could be taken out that easily."

Despite her bravado, Frost could hear doubt in her voice. Trunks was strong, yes, but so were their enemies. He doubted Turles or Slug could do anything against him, but there was Towa and Mira to consider, not to mention X. Had one or more of them shown up and attacked Trunks? And if that were the case, then where was he?

"Hold on," Belias said, holding up a hand, straining to listen. "I think I hear something. It sounds like...Yeah! Breathing. It's a bit labored, but it's definitely breathing. There's someone around here."

"H...Hello? Is someone there?"

"That sounds like Trunks," Sorbet said.

"Trunks! Where are you," Frost called out.

"Over here," Trunks replied, his voice drifting up to them from a small ravine.

The four patrollers rushed over to the ravine's edge and floated down to the bottom. As they landed, someone emerged from behind a large rock, staggering towards them. But it wasn't Trunks.

"Ginyu," Scarlet exclaimed. "It's a trap!"

"No, wait," Ginyu said, stumbling slightly. "It's me, Trunks."

"You expect us to believe that," Scarlet said.

"Hold on, Scarlet," Frost said. "That could be Trunks. It certainly sounds like him."

"It could be a trick, though," Belias said. "He could just be imitating Trunks's voice to throw us off our guard."

"I'm telling you, it's really me," Ginyu insisted.

"Alright," Scarlet said. "If you are Trunks, then answer me this: What happened that first morning you came to wake up me and Sorbet after we had become Time Patrollers?"

Ginyu's face turned bright red! "Seriously, Scarlet? _That's _what you're going to ask me about? Do you have any idea how awkward that was for me?"

Scarlet grinned. "That's Trunks alright. No way Ginyu would have known about that."

"Dare I ask what happened that morning," Frost inquired.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Trunks murmured.

"Trunks, what happened," Sorbet asked. "How did you end up switched with Ginyu?"

"It was X," Trunks explained. "He showed up out of nowhere. I activated the alert on my scouter to call you guys, but just as I did that, Ginyu got the jump on me and used his Body Switching ability on me. Then they ganged up on me and left me here, injured and unable to follow after them."

"X," Scarlet growled. "That explains it. But why did he have Ginyu switch with you?'

"If I had to guess, probably to get me out of the way," Trunks said. "And I have a pretty good idea where Ginyu went. He's probably on his way to where our friends are battling with the other members of the Ginyu Force."

"Then we'd better get over there and help them out," Scarlet said.

"Agreed," Frost said. "And we need to get Trunks back in his own body as well. Belias, could you help Trunks?"

Belias nodded and approached Trunks, placing one of his arms around his shoulders. Together, the five of them took flight and flew off in the direction where their friends were.

For a moment, the three Saiyans stood in stunned surprise. Out of nowhere Trunks had shown up and then had introduced himself as Captain Ginyu...in Ginyu's voice no less!

"How the hell did Ginyu switch with Trunks," Nionn said. "He couldn't have known he was here on Namek."

"Somehow I get the feeling our enemies have something to do with this," Hope surmised.

"So, do you two know that guy," Goku asked.

"Sort of," Hope replied. "It's hard to explain, but at the moment, that guy is an enemy. If we're going to fight him, we need to be careful not to injure him too much."

"I'm not sure I understand, but, alright," Goku said.

Across from them, Jeice was staring at the new arrival in confusion. It wasn't until after he had made his introduction that it dawned on him who this was.

"Captain," he gasped. "Is that really you?"

"Of course it's me, Jeice," Ginyu snapped. "Who else would it be?"

"I-I'm sorry, Captain," Jeice stammered. "I didn't know you were going to show up in a different body!"

"No excuses," Ginyu said. "You have to be ready at all times! Now, what happened to the others?"

"Those guys took them out, Captain," Jeice explained. "I don't know how they managed it, but they're tougher than they look."

"Well, we'll just have to teach them not to mess with the Ginyu Force," Ginyu said.

The two remaining Ginyus took up fighting stances and prepared to attack. Just as they were about to make their move, X suddenly appeared next to them.

"Ah! Him again," Goku exclaimed.

"X," Hope growled. "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"Guilty as charged," X replied.

"What did you do with Trunks," Nionn demanded.

"I left him at the bottom of a ravine," X said. "He's probably dead by now for all I care."

"You bastard," Nionn yelled, turning Super Saiyan. "You're going down!"

She charged at X who met her charge. The two fighters clashed, their attacks shaking the area as they struck out at each other. Goku and Hope, meanwhile, were in the midst of fighting Ginyu and Jeice. Hope fought against Ginyu while Goku took on Jeice.

"That body doesn't belong to you, Ginyu," Hope said, as he fought his opponent. "It belongs to my friend!"

"Considering the state we left him in, he's probably dead," Ginyu sneered. "So I don't think he's going to mind too much."

Hope lashed out, landing a strong punch to Ginyu's face, surprising him. Ginyu retaliated, attacking the Saiyan warrior relentlessly. Hope had to remember to hold back his full strength, but he was finding it difficult. The thought that Trunks could very well be dead...Hope shook his head. He couldn't think that. There was no guarantee Trunks was dead. He only had Ginyu's word and he wasn't going to believe it until he saw it for himself.

Nionn, meanwhile, was finding out first hand just how tough X was. The masked mercenary was not only holding his own against a Super Saiyan, but he was actually putting Nionn on the ropes.

"Damn, what is with this guy," she muttered. "I figured he was strong, but this is crazy."

"Having a little trouble, Nionn," X asked. "Come on. Surely you can do better than that."

"You want better? Fine," Nionn said, powering up to Super Saiyan 2. "You got it!"

She flew at him, throwing a barrage of punches at X. The mercenary blocked and dodged, countering her attacks with his own.

"Alright. That's more like it," X said.

Suddenly he halted and gazed at something behind his opponent. Nionn, noticing this, turned to see what had caught his attention and was relieved to see Frost and the others had just shown up, with Belias supporting an injured Captain Ginyu. Or rather, an injured Trunks in Ginyu's body.

"Frost! Guys," Hope greeted. "Man, are we glad to see you!"

"Unbelievable," X said. "I should have made sure he was finished. And he bought reinforcements. Guess it's time to make myself scarce."

Breaking away from Nionn, X flew off, disappearing. After he was gone, Nionn joined up with her fellow patrollers, Hope and Goku also joining them as the fight came to a halt.

"Trunks," Hope said. "I'm glad to see you're alright. We were worried X and Ginyu had finished you off."

"They almost did," Trunks replied, wincing slightly from his injuries. "Sorry this had to happen, guys. I really messed up."

"It wasn't your fault, Trunks," Frost said. "And don't worry, we're going to get this sorted out."

"So, this is your friend," Goku asked Hope.

"Yeah, this is him alright," Hope said. "Er, sort of. That guy we've been fighting switched bodies with him. We need to get them switched back."

Frost nodded. "By the way, Hope, where's Kora and Android #7?"

"They went with Gohan and Krillin to get the dragon balls," Nionn explained.

"I see. Well, we'll meet up with them later after we deal with this fiasco," Frost said. "Right now lets get Trunks back into his own body."

The group turned to face Ginyu and Jeice.

"Frost," Ginyu gasped. "You're alive? I thought Lord Frieza killed you!"

"Make this easy on yourself, Ginyu," Frost said. "And return my friend's body."

"And what if I refuse, Frost," Ginyu asked. "What are you going to do? If you attack me, you'll only be injuring your friend's body. I could always just switch with someone else. Alright, Jeice, time to finish this! Show them no mercy!"

"Uh, Captain," Jeice said nervously. "I'm not so sure about this. We're out numbered and these guys are pretty strong. Maybe we should pull back for now?"

"What," Ginyu roared. "Are you suggesting we retreat? The Ginyu Force never retreats!"

"You should listen to your friend," Goku spoke up. "The odds are against you. Just give up."

"Captain, maybe we should report back to Lord Frieza," Jeice suggested. "He could..."

"Report to Lord Frieza? And just what do you think he'll do to us if we go crawling back to him and tell him three of our comrades are dead and we retreated," Ginyu interrupted. "He'd probably kill us on the spot! At least this way, we'll go out in a blaze of glory! Now, enough stalling! Attack!"

"Y-Yes, sir," Jeice said, clearly reluctant to continue the attack.

"I can't believe he's really going to continue this fight," Sorbet said.

"The fear of Frieza will do that to you, I guess," Hope said.

"Look, guys," Trunks spoke up. "Do what you have to do. Attack Ginyu and injure him to the point where he'll have to switch bodies. When he does, I'll move in and intercept him."

"Are you sure, Trunks," Nionn asked. "That is your body after all. We don't want to damage it too much."

"It'll be fine, Nionn," Trunks assured her. "We don't really have a choice right now."

"Alright," Frost said. "While it's not really my style, we gang up on Ginyu and force him to switch bodies. Hope, Nionn, you two deal with Jeice."

"No problem, Frost," Hope said. "Let's go, Nionn."

"Fine with me," Nionn said. "I'm ready to end this fight."

The two Saiyans flew in to intercept Jeice, while Goku and the four remaining patrollers went after Ginyu. Due to his injuries, Trunks remained behind, watching and waiting for the right moment to make his move.

As the fighting resumed, Jeice found himself being attacked by his two Saiyan opponents. Although he fought as hard as he could, he was no match for either of them.

"This is your last chance, Jeice," Hope said. "You can still back out of this."

"Forget it, you ape," Jeice snapped. "I ain't backing out of anything! And I definitely don't need you showing me mercy!"

"Have it your way, you stubborn idiot," Nionn said.

The two Saiyans charged up and fired off two beams of energy, striking Jeice and effectively destroying him on the spot.

Captain Ginyu could only watch in shock as the last of his men were obliterated.

"No! The fabulous Jeice lost," he exclaimed. "How can this be?"

He staggered as Belias flew in and landed a punch to his face. This was followed up by a double strike from Scarlet and Sorbet, sending Ginyu crashing into the ground, hard. Ginyu managed to climb to his feet, but the injuries he had received from his enemies were taking their toll and he could barely stand. As he struggled to stay standing, he found himself being surrounded by his foes.

"I guess I have no choice," he muttered. His eyes fell on Goku. Perfect! "CHANGE NOW!" A bright purple light surrounded Ginyu and then he fired off a beam of energy.

"There," Trunks said, moving quickly towards the incoming beam of light. He arrived just in time and the beam hit him. When the light faded, Trunks was back in his own body. "Yes! It worked!"

"Perfect," Frost said. "Now, to deal with Ginyu."

Suddenly, before they could make their move, Turles appeared behind Goku and grabbed him.

"Turles," Hope gasped.

"Now! Do it," Turles shouted at Ginyu.

Ginyu was a bit surprised but understood what Turles was doing. "Thanks a lot, whoever you are."

"Quick! Stop him," Frost shouted.

However, before they could react, a barrage of ki blasts struck the ground in front of them, catching everyone by surprise. And from somewhere within the smoke, they heard a familiar shout:

"CHANGE NOW!"

As the dust settled, Goku, Turles, and Ginyu came into view and the patrollers saw that they were too late. Turles had released Goku, who now stood there with an evil smile on his face, signifying the switch had succeeded. They also saw someone else had appeared and was standing next to Ginyu and Turles.

"X," Nionn snarled. "So you came back!"

"I never left," he replied. "I only made you think I was retreating just to fool you into lowering your guard."

"Bastard," Scarlet growled. "This time you're going down!"

The patrollers readied themselves for battle. Trunks stepped forward to help out but then staggered, wincing from the injuries his body had received.

"Damn. Frost, I'm too injured to fight," he said.

"It's alright, Trunks," Frost said. "We can handle this. Go on back to the Time Nest and get healed up."

"Sorry to have to bail on you guys like this," Trunks said. "Be careful."

With that, Trunks flew off, leaving his friends to deal with the evil trio.

"Goku," Frost said. "We'll try to get Ginyu to switch again. When he does, that will be your chance to switch back."

"Okay, got it," Goku said, readying himself to fight.

"You sure you want to battle injured like that," Hope asked.

"I'll be fine," Goku assured him. "Injured or not, I'm not just going to stand by and do nothing."

Everyone turned their attention to the evil trio standing before them.

"Looks like the tables have turned again," Turles taunted.

"This is perfect," Ginyu laughed, flexing his fist. "Wonderful job, whoever you are." He turned to X. "And, you, too. I'm making you both official members of the Ginyu Force."

"I appreciate the offer," Turles said. "But I'll pass. I have other things I need to do."

"Same here," X said. "Anyway, I believe we have some business to take care of."

With that, the trio moved in to attack. Frost and Belias intercepted X, while Scarlet and Sorbet went after Turles, leaving Ginyu to deal with Hope, Nionn and Goku. The three Saiyans attacked Ginyu relentlessly, knowing full well they had to force Ginyu to switch bodies again so Goku could regain his own. However, Ginyu wasn't going to make it easy for them. Charging up, he fired off a Kamehame beam. Nionn caught the beam with her hands and managed to redirect it away from them, allowing Hope and Goku to attack Ginyu.

"How can you hope to best me in such a condition," Ginyu taunted Goku. "You can barely keep up with those injuries."

He staggered as Hope caught him with a savage right hook.

"Speaking of injuries, lets give you a matching set," he said.

As the Saiyans battled Ginyu, Scarlet and Sorbet were dealing with Turles. Unlike last time, he was managing to hold on a bit better against Scarlet, though not by much.

"I don't know why you're even bothering, Turles," Scarlet said. "You're only going to get beaten again!"

"I'm stronger this time around," Turles replied. "Thanks to our last battle!"

"It still won't be enough," Scarlet said. "Especially considering I can do this!" In a flash of golden light, Scarlet transformed into a Super Saiyan.

Turles's eyes widened in surprise! "What? Impossible! You're..."

That's as far as he got. Scarlet lashed out with a spinning kick, sending Turles careening through the air. He managed to catch himself in mid-flight, but also found himself being attacked by Sorbet. Much like with Kora, her petite stature belied her full strength, and Turles was soon being pushed back.

Frost and Belias, meanwhile, were in the midst of fighting X. Unlike Ginyu and Turles, however, he was proving to be no pushover. Frost and the masked mercenary were locked in combat, moving fast, their fists striking each other. They broke apart and Belias took that moment to fire off several red orbs of energy at X. The mercenary turned and batted aside several, following up with an energy beam. Belias dodged aside, reacting just in time as X appeared in front of him and attacked. Belias was amazed at the sheer strength of the masked man. And he was ranked as #2 on the Galactic Patrol's Most Wanted?

Much to Belias's relief, Frost flew in to lend some help. Surprisingly, X was able to deal with both fighters at once, though Frost noted just barely. As their fight continued, Frost was planning for a way to removed their opponent's helmet and learn just who and what they were up against. And if they could subdue him, maybe get some answers too.

_The Time Nest..._

"Ohhhh, that Turles," Elder Kai huffed. "And just when we were all set to wrap this mission up."

Trunks had returned to the Time Nest and was in the process of getting his wounds tended. The Supreme Kai was using her powers to heal him, while the Elder Kai was rambling. Also present were the other Patrollers. Trunks had filled them in on what had happened, and as he'd expected, the news wasn't received so well.

"I'm sorry," he said, after the Elder Kai fell silent. "This whole situation is my responsibility. I let my guard down and because of that, I wasn't able to repair the time line."

"Well, there are some problems, that's for sure," The Supreme Kai said. "But we're still here. Granted Goku and Ginyu weren't supposed to switch bodies like that. But now that it's done, things are progressing as they should. All that's left is to get Ginyu to make that one final switch and bring the battle to an end."

"That's going to be easier said than done," Trunks said. "Especially with Turles and X there to complicate things. That X...I can't believe how strong he is. I'm starting to see why Towa hired him."

"Do you think maybe we should go and help out our friends," Audrey asked.

"Hmm. I don't think it will be necessary," The Supreme Kai said. "Strong as X might be, he is up against six Time Patrollers, three of which are Saiyans capable of turning into Super Saiyan Gods. I think they'll be okay for now."

"Maybe," Luttice spoke up. "But I'm not so sure. There's still a lot we don't know about this X guy. I wonder just what all he's capable of?"

"X, Turles, Slug," Berri mused. "I'd almost say the other two aren't much to worry about compared with X, but there is that fruit from the Tree of Might the Supreme Kai mentioned. Turles used it once before when he first fought Goku. And just recently, he gave Burter and Jeice some and that made them even stronger than before. What if he and Slug decided to use more of it? Not just for themselves, but for other villains, too."

"And considering the time period, that could very well mean Frieza," Android #7 speculated. "If he ate that fruit, he'd be far too strong for Goku to beat, even as a Super Saiyan. And what if X had some of that fruit as well? I don't even want to think about how much stronger he would get."

"Now just calm down, everyone," The Supreme Kai said. "Granted the fruit does enhance a person's strength exponentially, but there is a time limit as to how long the enhancement lasts. Formidable as it might make our opponents, it's still no guarantee that it could gain them a victory. Still, we'll need to be on our guard and make sure it doesn't come to that."

"We can't afford any mistakes," Elder Kai agreed. "Right, Trunks?"

"Right," Trunks replied. "I'll have to do better next time. I fell right into Towa's trap. But I promise it won't happen again."

"Lets hope not," The Supreme Kai said. "History almost got destroyed beyond repair. We need to be careful and not underestimate our enemies."

"Understood," Trunks said. "I'm going to head back out now and see about tracking Towa and Mira down. I'll be in touch."

With that, Trunks used the scroll and disappeared, returning to Namek.

"I still think we should go there as well," Audrey spoke up. "Just in case something goes wrong."

"We can't afford to send everyone away," Elder Kai said. "If all of you went to Namek now, that would leave us totally defenseless. Don't worry. I'm sure everything will..."

At that moment, the scroll flared a darker color, signaling another change in the current time line.

"Uh-oh," The Supreme Kai said. "Something else is happening on Namek." She approached the pedestal and checked the scroll. "Well, this is just perfect. And here we were just talking about him, too."

"What's up, Supreme Kai," Aubrey asked.

"Looks like we're going to be dealing with Frieza a lot sooner than we thought," The Supreme Kai replied. "Right now, a Namekian warrior named Nail is currently keeping Frieza busy to buy Gohan and Krillin time to use the dragon balls. While Nail certainly doesn't stand a chance against Frieza, I'm afraid he won't last nearly as long as he did in the proper time line. If Nail dies here and now, he won't be able to fuse with Piccolo, giving him the boost of power needed to combat Frieza later on. Not only that, if Frieza returns to his ship too soon before Gohan and Krillin can use the dragon balls, then everything will be ruined."

"So basically we need to help Nail keep Frieza busy and make sure he doesn't get killed in the process," Berri surmised.

"Exactly," The Supreme Kai said. "Now, who will go?"

"I'll go," Cloud spoke up. "I can keep Frieza occupied for as long as we need to."

"Alright, Cloud," The Supreme Kai said. "I'll leave this up to you. Just remember, as much as you'd like to finish Frieza off, he has to remain alive to battle Goku later on."

"I understand," Cloud said. "And don't worry. As tempting as it sounds, I won't kill Frieza."

"Well, then, good luck," Elder Kai said. "And keep a sharp eye out. Turles and X might be preoccupied fighting the others, but Slug is still out there. And Towa and Mira could also show up as well."

"If they do, I'll call for backup," Cloud promised.

Grabbing the scroll, Cloud disappeared, transported to Namek's past, to face off against the Galactic tyrant, Frieza.

_Namek-Age 762..._

Back on Namek, the battle was starting to wind down. Hope and Nionn had defeated Ginyu and now the former Captain of the Ginyu Force was down on the ground, injured and barely able to move. The two Saiyans hovered in the air just above him, watching him.

"I hope we didn't overdo it," Hope said. "We still need him to switch back with Goku."

Suddenly, Ginyu's eyes snapped open and he gazed up at the two Saiyans above him.

"CHANGE NOW," he shouted.

A fiery purple aura surrounded him and a beam of light shot upwards right towards Hope. Fortunately, it never connected with him. Moving quickly, Goku flew in and placed himself between Hope and the incoming beam. The beam struck and in less than a few seconds, Goku was back in his own body.

"Finally," Goku gasped. "It's all back to normal."

Ginyu glared down at the injured Saiyin. "Damn it!" Then he whirled around to face Hope. "This time..." The same aura appeared around him again. "CHANGE NOW!"

"I won't let you," Goku yelled.

Reaching down, he grabbed a passing frog and hurled it into the air with the last of his strength. The frog flew right into the beam of light and there was a bright flash. When the light cleared, Ginyu, or rather, the frog in Ginyu's body hopped away, leaving the real Ginyu stuck in the frog's body, which also hopped away.

"Phew. That was a little too close for comfort," Hope said.

Off to the side, Turles and X watched as Ginyu hopped away while the patrollers landed on the ground and checked on Goku.

"Tch," Turles snarled. "Beaten again."

"We'll get another chance," X assured him. "Come on. Lets get out of here before they notice we're still hanging around."

Reluctantly, Turles nodded and the two of them disappeared.

Down on the ground, the patrollers were seeing to Goku when Trunks suddenly appeared.

"Hey, guys, I'm back," he greeted. He gazed around and saw no sign of their foes. "Looks like the battle's over. How's Goku?"

"Alive," Frost said. "But terribly injured. We need to get him somewhere to get healed up."

"Well, there is Frieza's ship," Trunks suggested. "We could take him there and put him in one of the healing tanks there."

"We may as well," Frost said. "After all, that's where he's supposed to be."

"I'll take him there," Belias said. "I can check in with Android #7 and Kora while I'm there and make sure they're doing alright. After that, I'll rendezvous with you guys."

"And in the meantime, we'll continue our search for Towa and Mira," Frost said. "Hope, Nionn, why don't you two head back to the Time Nest and get some rest."

"Sounds good to me," Hope said. "We'll see you guys later."

"Be careful out there, all of you," Nionn said. "And good luck."

In a flash of light, the two Saiyans disappeared, returning to the Time Nest. After they were gone, Belias lifted Goku up off the ground and then took flight, heading off in the direction of Frieza's ship. Frost and his remaining allies also took flight and resumed their search for Towa and Mira, unaware that another battle was taking place several miles away from their current location...

End of Chapter Eight...


	9. Chapter 9

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2-Time Patrollers

Chapter Nine-Stall Frieza! Showdown with Turles and Slug!

_Namek-Age 762..._

While the battle with the Ginyu Force was wrapping up, another battle was currently taking place elsewhere on Namek. A lone Namekian warrior named Nail was in a precarious situation as he stood face to face with Frieza, the famed Emperor of the galaxy. Under orders from Guru, the Grand Elder of Namek, Nail was doing his best to hold off Frieza in an attempt to buy their new Earthling friends the time they needed to use the dragon balls. However, things weren't going so well for him. Frieza was far stronger than Nail had ever thought possible. He had suspected the tyrant was powerful, but even he had underestimated just how powerful. Despite his best efforts, nothing was working and Frieza was only using a tiny portion of his true strength. If this was only a small sample, Nail shuddered to think just what the evil conqueror was like at full strength. Nevertheless, he was determined to do what he could, though he felt he wouldn't last much longer at this rate. And if he fell too soon...

Suddenly, a dark aura surrounded Frieza and his eyes flared red. Nail stared in surprise as he felt a massive rise in Frieza's power. Had the tyrant decided to stop holding back and was now about to finish him off? Frieza charged at Nail and before he could react, he was struck by an immense blow. Nail collapsed to the ground, unable to move. He coughed, blood trickling from his lips. Frieza's blow had been even worse than he had thought. He looked up, Frieza standing over him, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

"Well, Nail," he said. "You put up a decent fight. Unfortunately, you never stood a chance against me. You would have been better off taking my offer and joining me. Pity." He raised his hand, pointing a single finger at him, which began glowing. "Since you provided me with some decent entertainment, I'll return the favor and grant you a quick and painless death."

_Guru...Dende...I'm sorry...I failed..._Nail thought. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for the end.

However, before death could claim him, a white light appeared out of nowhere. Both Nail and Frieza looked up to see a single figure appear from the light. The figure was tall and carried himself like a warrior. He also had black spiky hair and a tail. Nail couldn't help but think that he resembled the person who had shown up at Guru's home, demanding the dragon ball. The one called Vegeta. Were they of the same race?

"A Saiyan," Frieza exclaimed. "Impossible! There should be no other Saiyans!"

"A...Saiyan..." Nail gasped. Was he here to help? Or was he an enemy?

"So, I finally get to meet the infamous Lord Frieza," the Saiyan said. He glanced down at Nail. "Are you alright, Nail?"

Nail started! How did this Saiyan know his name?

"Don't worry," the Saiyan said. "I'm here to help." He turned his attention to Frieza. "So, the mighty Lord Frieza, conqueror of worlds and feared Emperor of the Galaxy. I guess I never realized you were also a bully and a coward!" The last bit he spat contemptuously at Frieza.

Frieza's eyes widened in surprise, his face contorting with anger. Who was this upstart Saiyan to speak to him in such a manner? Raising his hand, he fired off a beam of energy at him. The Saiyan batted it aside effortlessly. This surprised Frieza even more. He fired off several more beams in quick succession, only to have them batted aside like the first one.

"What," Frieza gasped. "Impossible! Who are you?"

"Not that it matters to you, but the name is Cloud," he replied. "Now, you ready to get your ass kicked?"

Frieza snarled in anger! He would teach this upstart Saiyan a lesson and remind him why he was the most feared being throughout the galaxy. Shouting, he charged at Cloud, who met his charge head on. The two clashed, their blows shaking the area and causing the ground to crumble.

"You and that Namekian, I'm surprised you're foolish enough to challenge me," Frieza said, lashing out at Cloud. "You're both uneducated as to your place in the universe!"

"Hmph! You think you're the baddest in the galaxy, Frieza, but you're wrong," Cloud replied, blocking a punch from him. "There are others out there far stronger than you."

"No one is greater than I," Frieza raged. "No one!"

"And what about the legendary Super Saiyan," Cloud asked.

For a moment, Frieza flinched just slightly, caught off guard by Cloud's remark. Then the moment passed and Frieza resumed attacking him.

"It's nothing more than a legend," Frieza growled.

Cloud was tempted to turn Super Saiyan just to prove him wrong, but resisted. Frieza would soon see how wrong he was. For now, he needed to keep Frieza busy long enough for Krillin and Gohan to use the dragon balls.

Down on the ground, Nail watched as the Saiyan warrior fought Frieza. He was amazed! After feeling the full brunt of Frieza's strength, he didn't think there was anyone who could match the tyrant's power. And yet this Saiyan was holding his own. Where had he come from? And more importantly, how had he known Nail's name?

"I'll make this simple for the both of you," Frieza said. "Tell me how to use the dragon balls! Tell me, and perhaps I'll spare your lives. This is your final warning, Saiyan!"

"Neither I nor Nail will tell you anything," Cloud said.

The two of them parted and then landed on the ground, Cloud standing next to the injured Namekian.

"Do you two really want to die that badly," Frieza asked.

To his surprise, Nail started laughing. Frieza stared at him in confusion. Had the Namekian taken leave of his senses?

"And just what is so funny," Frieza demanded.

"E-Even if...I did tell you...it's too late...," Nail wheezed.

"What," Frieza exclaimed.

"S-Soon...Dende...will reunite...with the E-Earthlings...," Nail continued. "He'll tell them the password you want to obtain so badly."

"Wh-Whaaaat," Frieza asked. Then it suddenly dawned on him! "Y-You worms! This was nothing but a diversion?!"

"That's right," Cloud said. "And you fell for it. Tough luck, Frieza. No immortality for you."

Quivering with unbridled rage, Frieza took flight, heading off in the direction of his ship.

"CURSE YOOOUUUUU," Frieza shouted, his cry echoing as he sped off into the distance.

Cloud watched him disappear from sight and then turned his attention to Nail.

"Thank you...for what you've done," Nail said. "I wasn't...strong enough to stop him...on my own."

"There are very few who can stand up to the likes of Frieza," Cloud said.

"Yet...you managed," Nail pointed out. "Who are you? And...how did you know...my name?"

"I wish I could tell you," Cloud said. "But I'm afraid I can't."

"It hardly matters now," Nail said. "I won't last much longer anyway. Frieza...injured me severely. At least...I'll die knowing that I was able to buy time for the others."

Cloud wanted to tell Nail that he wouldn't die, that he would soon fuse with Piccolo and survive, but kept silent, knowing he couldn't reveal he was from the future.

"What will you...do now," Nail asked. "Will you go after Frieza? Do you...intend to stop him?"

"Someone will stop him," Cloud said. "It won't be me. But I will be there to see Frieza pay for all the suffering he has caused. That I can promise you."

Nail nodded. "I believe you. Thank you...Cloud. And farewell."

"Farewell, Nail," Cloud said. _Until we meet again._

Cloud turned away from Nail and disappeared in a bright light, returning to the Time Nest...

Elsewhere, on Namek, Turles was seething following his retreat from the battle with the Time Patrollers. Twice now he had been defeated, and twice he had been cheated of his revenge against Kakarot. Angrily, he slammed his fist into a nearby boulder, reducing it to rubble.

"What's your problem?"

Turles whirled around to face the speaker. It was X, who had also been at the previous battle.

"What's my problem," Turles raged. "How about the fact that I lost yet again? Or the fact that Saiyan Patroller is a Super Saiyan? I don't suppose you or Towa had any knowledge of that little fact, did you?"

"And what if we did," X replied. "Would it have made a difference?"

"It would have been nice to know that," Turles yelled. "Even I know I'm no match for the might of a Super Saiyan!"

"What about that fruit of yours," X asked. "Haven't you been going on and on about how it will make you strong enough to crush Goku?"

"Even that might not be enough," Turles snarled. "Towa promised me the means to gain ultimate power and revenge, and I have yet to get that! I'm starting to regret this alliance!"

"Oh, quit your whining," X snapped. "You agreed to this alliance, now you're in it for the duration! There are going to be setbacks and failures along the way to our ultimate goal, so get used to it. But, trust me, it will pay off in the end."

He turned and flew off, disappearing. Turles just glared at the spot where he had previously stood. How he hated that smug mercenary! He might be willing to go along with Towa's plan, but Turles had neither the time nor patience. He was sick of waiting. Fortunately, there was a way he could get what he wanted. If he was right, Kakarot's son and his friend would have the dragon balls gathered by now. If he could get his hands on them, he could wish for whatever he wanted. Power, or even better, immortality. Yes, immortality would be perfect.

"To hell with Towa and her schemes," he said. "It's time to take matters into my own hands."

With that, he took flight and headed off in the direction of Frieza's ship and the dragon balls. However, what he didn't realize was that someone else had plans of their own and was even now heading in the same direction as him.

_The Time Nest..._

"Welcome back, Cloud," The Supreme Kai greeted. "Good job out there."

"No problem, Supreme Kai," Cloud said. "Though I wish there was more I could have done for Nail."

"Remember, Nail does survive," Elder Kai reminded him. "If things play out as they should, Piccolo will arrive soon and fuse with him."

"I know," Cloud said. "Still, I had to leave Nail there, injured and dying, thinking there was nothing that could be done for him. I feel bad about it regardless."

"And there's no shame in feeling that way," The Supreme Kai said. "It proves you have a good heart, Cloud. And that makes you worthy of being a Time Patroller."

"Thank you, Supreme Kai," Cloud said. "I appreciate that." He turned to Hope and Nionn, who had just returned shortly before Cloud. "So, how did you guys fare? I take it everything got put back the way it was?"

"Everything is as it should be," Nionn said. "The Ginyu Force was defeated, Goku's in his own body, and Turles and X ran off."

"And what about Android #7 and Kora," Cloud asked. "I noticed they're not back."

"At the moment, they're still with Gohan and Krillin at Frieza's ship, keeping the dragon balls safe," The Supreme Kai explained. "Given how things have been playing out, I felt it best if they remain there for the time being."

"Belias will no doubt be joining them soon," Hope spoke up. "He took Goku there to put him in one of the medical pods on Frieza's ship so he could get healed up from his battle with the Ginyu Force. He'll need it if he's going to fight Frieza later."

"Cloud, was there any sign of Slug while you fought with Frieza," The Supreme Kai asked.

"I didn't see him anywhere," Cloud said. "To be honest, I didn't expect him to show up and help Frieza. Slug owes nothing to him."

"True," Elder Kai said. "I suppose Slug wouldn't lift a finger to help Frieza. So at the moment, we don't know where he is."

"Probably sneaking around somewhere on Namek," Nionn said. "That was where we last saw him."

"Well, so far there hasn't been any sign of him since Berri and Audrey fought him," The Supreme Kai said, glancing over the scroll. "Wait a minute...Uh-oh. I may have spoken too soon. I've located not only Slug, but Turles, too."

"Turles is still on Namek," Hope asked.

"Yes," The Supreme Kai said. "And it looks like both of them are heading towards Frieza's ship at this very moment!"

"Why would they be going there," Aubrey wondered.

"I'd say it's pretty obvious," Luttice said. "What's currently at Frieza's ship that guys like Turles and Slug would be interested in?"

"The dragon balls," Cloud said. "They must be going after them."

"We'd better get over there, quickly," Hope said. "If they get the dragon balls..."

"Whoa, now, settle down, Hope," The Supreme Kai said. "Remember, we have Kora and Android #7 over there already. And Belias will be there, too. If Slug and Turles think they're going to just swoop in and take the dragon balls that easily, they're in for a big surprise."

"Still, lets be ready to move out just in case more trouble shows up," Cloud said.

"Right. In the meantime, I'll get a hold of our allies and let them know they're about to have company," Elder Kai said, activating the communicator.

The Supreme Kai nodded. "Good idea, Elder. Alright, everyone, now we wait and see what happens."

_Frieza's ship-Namek-Age 762..._

"Hmm. Looks like whatever's happening is drawing to a close," Android #7 commented, checking her scouter. There were three power levels out there at the moment, two exceptionally strong ones and one that was steadily dropping. She watched as one of the larger power levels suddenly took off and was heading in their general direction, while the other one disappeared, leaving the third one alone. "I don't like the looks of that."

"Nyan. I wonder what's happening over there," Kora mused. "Do you think some of our friends had to fight another battle?"

"Maybe," Android #7 replied. "But that one power level is way too strong to be Turles or Slug."

"Maybe it's X," Kora surmised.

"Hmm. No, I don't think so," Android #7 said. "If I had to guess, it could be Frieza."

"That's not good," Kora said. "We haven't even used the dragon balls yet. Not to mention we have Goku injured and recovering in a medical pod right now."

Android #7 nodded. Belias had arrived a few minutes ago with an injured Goku and had told them about the battle with the remaining members of the Ginyu Force, as well as Turles and X. Frost, Scarlet, Sorbet and Trunks were continuing their search for Towa and Mira, while Nionn and Hope had returned to the Time Nest. Belias had just gone inside the ship to put Goku in the pod to recover, leaving them outside with Gohan, Krillin and the young Namekian named Dende. For the moment, they were under orders to remain there and make sure the dragon balls didn't fall into the wrong hands.

"We should probably get those wishes made, pronto," Android #7 remarked. "If that is Frieza coming this way, then we can't afford to be caught by surprise."

"You're right," Kora said. She turned to look back over at Gohan and his two companions and then frowned. "Say, #7, I just thought of something. Where's Vegeta? Wasn't he supposed to be at the battle with the Ginyu Force?"

"That's a good question," Android #7 said. "I wonder where he is?" Then she shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter. Lets just get those wishes made before Frieza shows up."

They walked over to where Gohan and his friends were. Just as they arrived, a blast of ki flew down from above and hit Krillin, knocking him to the ground.

"Krillin," Gohan exclaimed.

Immediately, both Kora and Android #7 were on guard, scanning the area for the attacker.

"Is it Frieza," Kora wondered.

"No, he couldn't have gotten here that fast," Android #7 said. She pointed upwards. "There's the culprit!"

Floating down to the ground was Turles. The rouge Saiyan landed on the ground next to the dragon balls, eyeing them with an unmistakable gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

"Turles," Kora hissed, her fur bristling.

"Terrific," Android #7 growled. "This is all we need. I guess the Supreme Kai was right to have us wait here."

"_Hey, Kora! #7! Can you hear me? Listen, you've got trouble heading your way! Turles..."_

"A little late for that old man," Android #7 responded. "Turles just dropped in!" She turned her attention to Gohan. "Gohan, check on Krillin! Then stay back! We'll handle this!"

"O-Okay," Gohan said, rushing over to where Krillin had fallen.

With that taken care of, Kora and Android #7 turned their attention to Turles, who still had his gaze fixed on the dragon balls.

"How I've longed for this moment," he said. "In but a very short time, the dragon balls will grant me eternal life. If I eat enough fruit from the Tree of Might, even Frieza and Mira with all their power won't be able to stop me. I will utterly destroy Kakarot, and the entire universe will kneel before me!"

"Turles," Android #7 yelled.

Turles looked up to notice the two Patrollers approaching him.

"Well, well," he said, leering at Kora. "We meet again, kitten. It seems you were able to recover from my attack during our last meeting. And who's your little friend here? Another Time Patroller? I didn't know the Time Patrol recruited children."

"Screw you, Turles," Android #7 snapped. "We're not letting you have those dragon balls!"

"I won't be denied my wish, you little brat," Turles snarled, dropping all pretense of pleasantries. "I've come too far to let you stop me! The dragon balls will be mine!"

"_Hey, #7! Listen, there's something else you need to know!"_

"Not now, old man," Android #7 replied. "We're kind of busy right now!"

"_But it's important! Slug is also..."_

Right on cue, another figure appeared from the sky, dropping down to land right before Turles. It was Slug! Turles turned to face the hulking Namekian, who didn't look pleased at all.

"The dragon balls belong to me, Turles," Slug growled. "Immortality will be mine and mine alone!"

"Our goals are the same then," Turles replied. "It occurs to me, Slug, that since these dragon balls grant three wishes, I don't see why we can't both gain immortality."

"The universe is mine to rule," Slug said. "And there's no place for you in it."

"Nyan! Neither of you are getting those wishes," Kora yelled. "Not if we have anything to say about it!"

Slug turned his attention to the two Patrollers. "More Time Patrollers? This is starting to annoy me!"

"The feeling's mutual," Android #7 said. "I hope you two losers are ready to get your asses handed to you."

"You," Slug sneered. "You think a little brat and some alley cat can stop me?"

"Obviously you forgot how our friends mopped up the floor with you last time," Android #7 quipped. "And now, we're going to finish the job!"

Turles turned to Slug. "Hmm. Slug, how would you feel about a temporary truce? Just long enough to deal with these annoying Patrollers?"

"So, first things first, is it," Slug replied. He nodded. "All right. I'll agree to that." He turned his attention to the two Patrollers. "We'll make you regret interfering in our business!"

Both Saiyan and Namekian reached into their pockets and withdrew fruit from the Tree of Might. Without hesitation, they consumed the fruit. Following this, their power shot up immensely as dark auras surrounded them.

"You ready, Kora," Android #7 asked.

"Nyan! You bet," Kora replied. "Let me deal with Turles. I have a score to settle with him."

"Fine with me," Android #7 said. "I'm gonna enjoy knocking Slug down a peg or two."

"_Stay on your guard, both of you," _Elder Kai spoke up over the communicator. _"Those two are far more powerful now thanks to that fruit they just ate."_

"Got it," Android #7 said.

Together, both she and Kora charged at Turles and Slug.

On board Frieza's ship, Belias had just placed the injured Goku inside one of the medical pods and had started the machine.

"Well, that should do it," Belias said. He glanced up, peering through the transparent glass at Goku. "Alright, Goku, it'll take a little while, but this will heal you up. Enjoy this peaceful moment while you can. Pretty soon you'll be facing a pretty tough fight."

He gave the panel another quick check to make sure everything was working just fine. With Goku secured, Belias turned and made his way to the exit. He would check in with Kora and Android #7 first, then he would locate Frost and the others and rejoin them. Just as he was nearing the exit, he felt two enormous bursts of power!

"What's that," he said.

He rushed towards the exit and made it outside to witness a fierce battle going on. Android #7 and Kora were in the middle of fighting Turles and...

"Slug," Belias growled. "So you finally decided to show yourself."

He frowned as he studied the Saiyan and Namekian. Their power levels were higher than before. Way higher, in fact. Was it because of Towa's magic? Or...

"Of course," he said. "It must be that fruit from the Tree of Might the Supreme Kai mentioned. Well, it doesn't matter. Those two are going down regardless of how much power that fruit has given them."

With that, he took flight and flew towards the four fighters.

Android #7 staggered back as Slug landed a powerful hit on her. Recovering quickly, she managed to dodge the next strike, knocking Slug's fist aside with a hit of her own. Slug retaliated with another jab, and Android #7 blocked it, her arm tingling slightly from the hit. She couldn't believe just how strong Slug was! Had the fruit's power been that potent to make him this powerful?

"Hah ha ha," Slug laughed evilly. "Surprised, brat? This fruit is different from the usual batch. It's infused with energy from the Demon Realm! Compliments of Towa!" He struck again, lashing out mercilessly at Android #7, pushing her back. "My energy keeps expanding ! Now I'm completely invincible!"

Android #7 caught his next hit with her hand and held it back. "Don't think you've won yet, Slug! You haven't even seen my full power yet!"

In a flash of light, Android #7 changed into her ultimate form, surprising Slug.

"W-What," Slug gasped, startled by the sudden transformation.

Android #7 struck, knocking Slug through the air. She then followed after him.

Meanwhile, Kora was busy fending off Turles. The Saiyan was even stronger since the last time they had fought. The fruit had enhanced his power even further than anticipated.

"You think you can beat me," Turles said, attacking her. "Your power next to mine, is like an anthill next to a mountain."

"You may be stronger than last time, Turles," Kora replied. "But you're still going to lose!"

Kora opened her eyes and activated her Cat's Eye ability. With her ability now active, she was able to track Turles's moves and intercept his attacks. But while she was able to hold him off, he was still stronger than before. She knew the fruit of the Tree of Might increased a person's power, but this was even more than she had thought possible. It was easy to see now why the Supreme Kai had warned them of it's powers.

"Ha ha ha ha," Slug laughed, even as he fought Android #7. "All this power brings me one step closer to ruling the universe! It's incredible!" He knocked Android #7 aside, surprising her with a blast of energy, though she managed to knock it away. During that brief moment, Slug turned his attention to Turles. "Once this is finished, you're next, Turles! I hope you're prepared!"

"Don't be so cold, Slug," Turles replied. "Wanderers like us should stick together."

"Hmm, perhaps," Slug conceded. "Tell you what, Turles, if you swear to become my loyal servant, I might consider it."

"Heh...I politely decline," Turles said.

"Hmph! Probably just as well," Slug said. "We'd never get along, anyway."

As the battle raged between the four fighters, two red orbs came sailing through the air and struck both Turles and Slug, catching them by surprise. The fight came to a halt as Belias flew in and joined his two allies.

"Great, another one," Turles said. "Wait! I remember you. You helped Kakarot in the battle with Captain Ginyu."

Belias remained silent, his gaze locked on Slug, who also stared back in surprise.

"Belias," he said.

"Hello, Slug," Belias said. "It's a been a long time."

"That's Lord Slug to you," Slug raged. "You have some nerve showing your face to me, after you failed me!"

"Failed him," Android # 7 said, confusion tinging her voice. "What's he talking about, Belias? What's going on?"

"Yes," Turles spoke up. "I'm rather curious myself. You know each other, Slug?"

"We have a history," Slug replied. "As it is, Belias here used to work for me."

"Nyan! You worked for Slug, Belias," Kora gasped. "It can't be!"

"I'm afraid it is, Kora," Belias said. "It's a long story, but I'll give you the short version. Slug found me as a child and took me in. He raised me, taught me how to fight."

"So glad you remember everything I did for you," Slug sneered.

"I also remember all the hell you put me through, Slug," Belias snapped. "All the grueling training, being beaten near to death! I remember every hit, every kick, every single injury you inflicted upon me!"

"I made you strong," Slug roared. "I made you a warrior worthy to serve me! And you repay me with betrayal and disobedience!"

"Oh? And how did he do that," Turles asked.

"I ordered him to come here to Namek and kill the Elder," Slug explained. "With him gone, Belias was then supposed to send word to me to invade the planet and take over. Instead, he let the Elder live! And failed to return to me! As I said, betrayal and disobedience!"

"Did you ever think maybe I never felt any loyalty to you, Slug," Belias said. "I despised you! I hated everything about you! When I met Elder Guru, he showed me there was a better life. One that didn't involve you. He showed me the one thing you never did. He showed me kindness."

"Kindness," Slug sneered. "How pitiful! And to think I wasted all that time making you the perfect warrior!"

"I'm an even better warrior now," Belias replied. "Thanks to Guru...and, thanks to my friends in the Time Patrol." He took up a fighting stance. "And I'm going to prove that, by taking you down. Android #7, leave Slug to me. Help Kora deal with Turles."

Android #7 opened her mouth to say something, but then nodded in understanding. This was Belias's fight now, and she would respect his wishes and not interfere. Backing away from Slug, she flew over and joined Kora. Belias turned his full attention to Slug.

"Hah! So you really want to do this, Belias," Slug asked. "Fine with me. It seems I need to remind you of your place!"

With that being said, the two Namekians hurtled towards each other!

As the battle resumed, X appeared nearby on a hill overlooking the area where Frieza's ship was. He gazed down, watching as Slug and Belias fought one another. Even from where he stood, the masked mercenary could feel the intensity of their blows as it shook the very area. Not too far away, he also saw Turles facing off against Kora and Android #7. The two Patrollers were proving to be more than he could handle, even with the enhancements of the fruit.

"Unbelievable," X growled. "I knew these two were going to be more trouble than they were worth. Well, I for one have had enough of them. I'm going to kill them both myself."

"That won't be necessary, X."

Turning, X saw Towa and Mira had appeared and joined him.

"Towa," X said. "You're not seriously going to let this slide, are you? Those two are not worth it."

"True," Towa said. "I certainly can't let this insubordination stand. However, I want to see how things play out. Tell me, have they eaten the fruit I gave them?"

"Yes," X said, slightly confused. "And it seems to be working for them. Why?"

"Good," Towa said. "I'm anxious to see the results of the fruit's power."

"But...Turles and Slug," X persisted. "Shouldn't we do something about them?"

"We'll deal with them soon enough," Towa said. "For now, just watch."

X sighed and then turned his attention back to the battle below, wondering just what Towa had in store.

Back at the fight, Turles was being overwhelmed by the combined power of Kora and Android #7. Despite the fruit's enhancement, he was no match for two fighters at once, especially ones as skilled and as powerful as the two Patrollers. His ally Slug was in no better position either. Belias attacked Slug relentlessly, slamming his fists into the other Namekian's face. Slug attempted to counter his attacks, but found that more difficult than he thought. Belias struck, and sent his former leader crashing to the ground, Turles following as the two other Patrollers knocked him out of the sky. Both Slug and Turles managed to stagger to their feet as Belias and his two allies landed on the ground.

"So, still think I'm a weakling, Slug," Belias asked.

"This...this isn't possible," Slug gasped. "This fruit...was supposed to make us...stronger."

"I refuse...to be beaten...again," Turles snarled. "I won't..."

He fell silent as a sudden power surge rippled through his body. Across from him, Slug also felt a surge course through him.

"Ngh! Wh-What's happening," Slug exclaimed. "I feel a surge of pure dark energy!"

"This is Towa's doing," Turles said. "She must have tainted the fruit somehow!"

Both Saiyan and Namekian let out a loud shout. A blast of black and white light erupted from them and the three Patrollers felt their power levels spike even higher than before.

"What the," Belias gasped. "What happened to them? Their power..."

"Great," Android #7 growled. "This just got even more complicated."

End of Chapter Nine...


	10. Chapter 10

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2-Time Patrollers

Chapter Ten: One Battle Ends, Another Begins! Fear Has Many Forms-Emperor Frieza!

"It looks like my experiment was a success," Towa said, watching as Turles and Slug powered up even further. "Their power has risen even higher than before."

"All of that from the fruit," X asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

"The power of the fruit is potent on it's own," Towa said. "But thanks to my experiments on it, I've enhanced it even more. And this will put me one step closer to achieving victory against the Time Patrol."

"But will this be enough to stop those Patrollers," Mira asked.

"Only one way to find out," Towa replied. "Lets watch and see what happens."

As they watched, Mira tensed and looked up. Flying towards them were four familiar figures: Trunks, Frost, Scarlet and Sorbet.

"Towa," he said. "We have some uninvited guests coming our way."

Towa glanced up to see the incoming Patrollers. "Of course they would show up. I can't have them interfering with this battle, not until I've had time to see the full effects of my spell. Mira, X! Deal with them!"

"With pleasure," Mira said, taking flight, with X following after him.

With that taken care of, Towa turned her attention back to the battle on the ground.

"Man, what is with those crazy power levels," Scarlet said, as her scouter registered the rising powers below them. "That can't be Turles and Slug, can it?"

"It is," Trunks said, checking his own scouter. "But how? There's no way those two are that powerful."

"It must be that fruit," Sorbet surmised. "The Supreme Kai did mention it can boost people's power levels exponentially."

"But this seems way too powerful, even for a boost from the fruit," Trunks said.

"It must be Towa's doing," Frost said. "And speaking of which, there she is down there!"

"And there are our friends," Sorbet said, pointing to the battle currently in progress.

"I'll head down there and help them out," Trunks said.

"And we'll deal with Towa," Frost added.

"Hey, guys! We've got incoming," Scarlet shouted.

Sure enough, heading straight towards them were Mira and X.

"It seems we're going to have to deal with those two first," Frost said.

"Fine with me," Scarlet growled. "I've been wanting to take a shot at that masked jerk for a while now." With a burst of golden light, she transformed into a Super Saiyan and charged straight towards X.

"Sorbet, you and I will take Mira," Frost said. "Trunks, go help our friends!"

"Got it," Trunks said. "Be careful, guys!" With that, he changed direction and flew off towards the ongoing battle.

Frost and Sorbet halted and waited for their opponent to arrive. Mira wasted no time and immediately launched himself at the two Patrollers. Frost intercepted his first attack, but found himself pushed back. Bracing himself, Frost pushed back and attacked. Mira lashed out aggressively, surprising him at the sheer strength of his hits. Frost powered through, striking Mira and knocking him back. At that moment, Sorbet made her move, attempting to catch Mira by surprise. However, her plan fell short as Mira blocked her punch and then threw her right into Frost, knocking both Patrollers aside.

"Is that the best you can do, Frost," Mira asked. "I'm disappointed."

In response, Frost transformed into his Armored Form and together with Sorbet, they charged at Mira.

Back down on the ground, Belias and his two companions were currently dealing with Turles and Slug, who were now powered up even further. Belias struggled with Slug while Android #7 and Kora fought Turles. Slug struck Belias, knocking him off balance. The evil Namekian didn't even give him a chance to recover as he pressed his attack, landing several more hits on Belias.

"This feels absolutely incredible," Slug gloated, flexing his muscles. "The sheer power!"

"This is different from before," Turles remarked. "There's more, far more power flowing into me!"

"It looks like you and your friends are finished now, Belias," Slug taunted. "Perhaps if you beg, I might take pity on you and give a quick and painless death."

Belias surprised him by surging forward and attacking. "Go to hell! I'd sooner die than beg you for anything!"

"Then allow me to grant you that wish," Slug replied.

The two Namekians grappled with each other while #7 and Kora were dealing with Turles. Both Patrollers were still managing to hold their own against the renegade Saiyan, but he was still proving to be difficult. Moreover, Kora found her Cat's Eye ability was unable to properly track Turles now. Whatever chaotic energies were powering him now were too erratic for her ability to follow.

"What kind of power is this," Kora exclaimed. "I can't track him anymore. That's never happened to me before."

"It has to be that fruit and whatever weird energy Towa infused it with," #7 surmised. "It must be too erratic for your ability to properly track."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to do without it," Kora said. "He may be stronger now, but we can still take him. How's Belias doing?"

#7 spared a glance down at her ally. So far he seemed to be doing alright, but Slug's power was still building up, making things even more difficult for Belias.

"Looks like he could use some help down there," #7 replied.

However, before they could go down to assist him, Turles attacked. #7 managed to intercept the attack, but Turles didn't slow down. He continued to attack, nearly overwhelming her. Kora rushed in to help her, drawing Turles's attention away from #7 and allowing her a moment to recover. Both Patrollers continued to attack Turles as the Saiyan's power rose higher. #7 realized that there was no way they could get down to Belias to help him. Fortunately, she had no need to be concerned. Flying in from above, Trunks appeared and made straight for Belias and Slug. #7 breathed a sigh of relief. With Trunks now helping Belias, she and Kora could fully concentrate on Turles.

Trunks landed on the ground next to Belias. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Trunks," he said. "Am I glad to see you. That fruit's made Slug even stronger than before. And his power just keeps rising."

"I noticed," Trunks replied. "We need to put a stop to him quickly before he gets even stronger."

"So, it's you again," Slug growled, glaring at Trunks. "Well, now I'll get the chance to make you pay for humiliating me from before. Both of you will suffer my wrath!"

The battle resumed, with Trunks turning Super Saiyan. Together, he and Belias attacked Slug, neither one holding back. Despite this, however, Slug was still holding his own, managing to combat both of his opponents, while up in the air, #7 and Kora were still locked in battle with Turles. The two battles continued on when suddenly the sky overhead grew dark.

"What? What's this," Turles asked, the battle coming to halt. "Why did it get dark all of the sudden?"

"The dragon balls," Slug exclaimed. "Someone is using them!"

"Ah! It must be Kakarot's son," Turles said. "He and that other Earthling must have summoned the dragon!"

"NO! Those wishes are mine," Slug roared. "I can't let them steal them from me!"

"That goes double for me," Turles said. "I will not be denied immortality!"

The two villains tried to fly off only to be intercepted by the four Patrollers.

"Move aside," Slug demanded.

"You're not going anywhere, Slug," Belias said. "Except to the afterlife."

"Then we'll make you move," Turles snarled.

Both Turles and Slug powered up and unleashed two beams of energy on their enemies. The four Patrollers countered by firing off four beams of energy. The attacks struck and for a brief second, they struggled against each other, then the four Patrollers's energy beams broke through, dissipating the other beams. Turles and Slug could only stare in shock as the beams streaked towards them and struck. Both Slug and Turles were vaporized, their evil ambitions effectively ended.

"Well, so much for that," Towa said, as the battle concluded. "Still, this provided useful information and it got rid of those two troublemakers. I'd say it's time to move on." She looked up at the other battle taking place. "Mira! We're done here! It's time to go!"

Up in the air, Mira halted his attack on Frost and Sorbet. He noticed right away that the battle with Slug and Turles had ended, with both being obliterated.

"It seems our two allies weren't up to the task after all," he said. He turned to Frost. "While I would like nothing more than to finish this battle, Frost, I must take my leave. But next time, you won't be so fortunate."

He disappeared from sight, reappearing next to Towa. Then both of them disappeared, leaving Frost and Sorbet alone.

"Are you alright," Frost asked Sorbet.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied. "Frost...Mira's power..."

"I know," Frost said, his tone somber. "He's even stronger than before. And I fear he's only going to get stronger. We have to stop him once and for all before he becomes too powerful."

Sorbet nodded. "And to do that, we need to stop Towa as well. Otherwise, she'll just revive him again, and we'll be right back where we started."

"Lets go find Scarlet and then join up with the others," Frost said. "We need to regroup and plan our next move."

Elsewhere, Scarlet and X were still battling, unaware that the other battles were over. The Saiyan Patroller was determined to take X down, but that was proving to be easier said than done. So far the masked mercenary was holding his own against her, and she had now resorted to going SSJ3. The two of them fought ferociously, landing powerful strikes, shaking the very area.

"Just what is your deal, anyway," Scarlet said, lashing out at X. "Why are you taking orders from Towa?"

He ducked her attack and countered. "I'm a mercenary. Someone hires me to do a job, I do it."

"And what exactly did Towa promise you," Scarlet asked.

"That's none of your concern," X said. "As long as Towa delivers on my payment, then I'll do whatever she asks."

"What makes you think you can trust her," Scarlet countered. "That witch could end up double crossing you, you know."

"Oh, I know she'll pay up," X said. "Because she's already given me a down payment."

Before Scarlet could question him further, Towa appeared. "X, we're done here. It's time to go."

"What about Slug and Turles," X asked.

"Those two have been dealt with," Towa answered. "We're moving on to the next phase of my plan." She then disappeared.

"Hmph. Well, good riddance to them," X said, turning his attention back to Scarlet. "Looks like we'll have to settle this another time, Scarlet."

"The hell we will," Scarlet yelled. "We're settling this here and now!"

"Sorry. But I am on the clock, and Towa's the boss," X said, shrugging. "Not much I can do about it. See ya around." With that, he disappeared before Scarlet could react.

"Damn it," Scarlet raged. "Get back here, you coward!"

"Scarlet!"

The Saiyan Patroller turned to see Frost and Sorbet approaching her. Sighing in frustration, she powered down and flew over to join them.

"Scarlet, are you okay," Sorbet asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Scarlet replied. "Just pissed off."

"Where's X," Frost asked.

"He took off," Scarlet replied. "Towa was here, too. I guess they're done here on Namek."

"Not necessarily," Frost said. "There's still the matter of Frieza."

Scarlet looked up, noting the sky was dark. "I'm guessing Gohan and Krillin are using the dragon balls right now. But that also means Frieza will be showing up soon."

"We need to regroup with our friends," Frost said. "Lets go."

Down on the ground, the four Patrollers in question were taking a moment to recover from the battle with Turles and Slug.

"Nyan. I'm glad that's over," Kora said. "Who would have thought that fruit would make them that strong?"

"And we can thank Towa for altering it's power," Android #7 said. "If she can do that for lesser villains like Turles and Slug, I don't even want to think of what the more powerful foes will be like." She turned to Belias. "So, feel better now that you've settled the score with Slug?"

"Yes, I do," Belias replied. "Thanks."

"You know, that reminds me, just what was the deal with you and Slug," Trunks spoke up.

Before Belias could answer, Frost, Scarlet and Sorbet arrived, landing next to their friends.

"Any luck with Towa and Mira," Trunks asked.

"I'm afraid not," Frost said. "They got away. And what's even more troubling is Mira's power. He's even stronger than he was before."

"Yeah, and X is no pushover either," Scarlet remarked. "That guy is crazy strong."

"We've really got our work cut out for us," Android #7 said. "So what now, Frost? Should we go and help Gohan and Krillin?"

"_Why don't you guys come back to the Time Nest," _The Supreme Kai spoke up over the communicator. _"I imagine you need a little rest after those battles. Don't worry about Gohan and Krillin. I'm dispatching some of the other Patrollers to help in the battle against Frieza."_

"Understood, Supreme Kai," Frost said. "We're heading back now." He switched off his scouter and turned to his team. "Looks like we'll have to pick up Towa's trail later. Lets head back to the Time Nest and recover our strength."

"Lets just hope whoever is fighting Frieza has less trouble than we did," Kora said.

With that, the Patrollers disappeared in a flash of light, returning to the Time Nest...

_Elsewhere..._

Krillin watched in terror as the smoke cleared away, revealing Frieza. The tyrant had changed in appearance, having transformed into his Final Form. What's more, his power had escalated even higher than before, the sheer sense of it overwhelming the Earth warrior. At the moment, it was him, Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo. Shortly after Turles and Slug had shown up and Android #7 and Kora had gone off to fight them along with Belias, Krillin and Gohan had asked Dende to summon the dragon so they could make their wishes. They had succeeded in wishing back Piccolo and then had him brought to Namek to help out in the battle. Before they had been able to make their third wish, however, Vegeta had shown up and had attempted to use it for himself. Unexpectedly, the dragon balls had turned to stone and the dragon had disappeared. Dende had then told them that it was due to the passing of Elder Guru. Angry that he had been denied his wish, Vegeta had been ready to attack them when suddenly Frieza had shown up. And much like the Saiyan Prince, he was not too happy about not getting his wish.

After a fierce battle between both Vegeta and Frieza, Piccolo had shown up and fought the galactic tyrant as well. Krillin had held onto the hope that both the Saiyan and Namekian might actually be strong enough to stop Frieza. However, that hope was short lived when Frieza revealed that he was capable of transforming into more powerful forms. And now here they were, facing Frieza in his final and most powerful form of all. Any hope of survival Krillin had had vanished completely. Even with all four of them working together, he knew they were no match for Frieza. And there was still no sign of Goku, though Krillin wondered if even their friend would be enough to turn the tide.

"Oh, man. I really wish #7 and Kora were still here," he said. "We could really use their help right about now."

"Forget about those two," Vegeta said. "I can deal with Frieza. After all, I am Super Saiyan."

"I'm not so sure about that," Krillin said, even though he didn't really know what a Super Saiyan was.

"This is no time for your ego, Vegeta," Piccolo snapped. "We're going to have to work together or we won't survive this."

"Working together won't save you, Namekian," Frieza spoke up. "You're all going to die."

Krillin readied himself, certain that this was it, when suddenly, a miracle occurred! Swooping down from above, two familiar figures appeared. It was two of the Saiyan warriors they had met before: Cloud and Luttice.

"Oh, thank goodness," Krillin breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm actually glad to see you two," Piccolo said, addressing the two Saiyans. "Your timing couldn't have been any better. Although, I'm not sure how much difference you two will make." He glanced over at Frieza. "That guy's power is unbelievable."

"Don't worry, Piccolo," Cloud assured him. "We're going to get through this."

"You're just wasting your time," Vegeta said. "If anyone is going to defeat Frieza, it will be me."

"Don't be stupid," Luttice said. "Frieza's way more powerful than you."

"And I suppose you think you're strong enough to stop him," Vegeta snapped.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Luttice replied. "Or did you forget how me and the others mopped the floor with you and Nappa last time?"

"Hey, knock it off, both of you," Cloud said, placing himself in between Vegeta and Luttice. "Lets focus on the task at hand." With that argument settled, he turned to face Frieza.

"So, it's you again," Frieza said, recognizing Cloud. "And it seems you brought a friend with you. Well, no matter. I'll kill each and every one of you. And this time, you will be facing me at fullest."

"This battle won't be any different, Frieza," Cloud said.

Suddenly a dark aura surrounded Frieza and his eyes began glowing red. "I will make you suffer, Saiyan. You'll all be begging for death before I'm through with you!"

With that, Frieza charged at the gathered fighters. Everyone scattered and the battle took to the air. Vegeta immediately launched himself at Frieza, heedless of the immense power gap between them.

"I'll show you something great, Frieza," he declared.

"Vegeta, don't be foolish," Piccolo called after him. "Do you really believe you can beat Frieza?"

"Sort of," Vegeta replied.

"My, you're really confident, Vegeta," Frieza smirked, easily countering the Saiyan Prince's attacks. "Or perhaps you've gone crazy with fear."

"Smile while you still can, Frieza," Vegeta replied. "For I am the legendary Super Saiyan you fear so much."

Frieza laughed. "You? A Super Saiyan? Really, Vegeta, you make the worst jokes."

"Don't you mock me," Vegeta yelled, charging recklessly at Frieza.

However, despite his best efforts, Frieza fought Vegeta with minimal effort. His speed and strength far surpassed the Saiyan Prince and it became obvious Vegeta was in over his head.

"We'd better get in there an help him," Cloud said to Luttice. "Piccolo, you, Gohan and Krillin stay back. We'll handle this!"

"Are you sure," Piccolo asked. "I know you two are strong, but can you handle Frieza by yourselves?"

"We've got this," Luttice assured him. "No offense, but you guys would just be in the way."

"I suppose you're right," Piccolo said. "I hate to say it, but we're definitely no match for Frieza. Gohan, Krillin, fall back. We'll let them handle this."

"Be careful, you two," Gohan said.

As Krillin and Gohan moved away from the battle zone, Piccolo said, "Goku should be on his way soon. Lets just hope he'll make a difference to this battle."

_Oh, he will, _Cloud thought to himself.

After Piccolo had joined Gohan and Krillin, the two Saiyan Patrollers flew off to where Frieza and Vegeta were still locked in combat.

While the two Saiyans were rushing off to aid Vegeta, Towa was initiating the next step of her plan. She, along with X and Mira were currently in another section of the galaxy, far from Planet Namek and the ensuing battle.

"Why exactly are we all the way out here in the middle of nowhere," X asked.

"Patience, X," Towa said. "What we're after will soon be here. In fact, there it is now."

X watched a large circular ship moved into view. The ship steadily drew closer to the duo and soon X recognized it.

"That's a Frieza Force ship," X said.

"Yes, and no," Towa said. "It's true that this ship belongs to the Frieza Empire, but it doesn't belong to Frieza himself. It belongs to someone else. Someone we came to see."

"Surely you don't mean Frieza's father," Mira said. "You already tried him once already."

"No, it's not King Cold," Towa said. "It's someone else in Frieza's family."

X was quiet for a moment, and then it dawned on him who Towa was referring to! "You don't mean..."

"I do," Towa said. "Come, you two. Lets go aboard and recruit our next ally."

Back on Namek, Cloud and Luttice arrived just in time to find Vegeta in the clutches of Frieza. The tyrant had Vegeta by the neck, his tail wrapped around his throat and steadily cutting off his air supply. Frieza looked up as the two Saiyan Patrollers landed on the ground.

"Well, look who decided to join us, Vegeta," Frieza smirked. "Your two friends came to save you. Wasn't that nice of them? Oh, come now. Don't be rude. You should thank them."

Vegeta only managed to gargle painfully, desperately trying to pry Frieza's tail from around his neck. Tiring of this, Frieza whirled around, releasing his grip on Vegeta and sending him crashing into a nearby hill. Vegeta crumpled to the ground, unable to get up. With him out of the way, Frieza then turned his attention on the two remaining Saiyans.

"Well, it seems he's lost the will to fight," Frieza said. "Perhaps you two might prove more amusing than him."

"No problem," Luttice said. "We'll be more than happy to oblige you."

"Remember, we only need to hold him off until Goku gets here," Cloud said.

"Yeah, I know," Luttice replied. "I really wish we could go Super Saiyan. Imagine how he'd react to that."

"As tempting as that sounds, we need to hold off on that," Cloud said. "Once Goku goes Super Saiyan, there won't be any need to hide our own transformations. For now though, base forms will due."

Frieza flew towards the two Saiyans and the battle began. Cloud and Luttice were able to counter Frieza's attacks easily and match him blow for blow. Frieza fired off several Death Beams at them, only to have them dodge. Luttice retaliated with a barrage of ki blasts, forcing Frieza to dodge, only to be attacked by Cloud.

"Wretched Saiyans," Frieza raged. "Why don't you just accept your fate and die?"

"What can I say? We're a stubborn bunch," Cloud replied.

As they continued the battle, Cloud's scouter suddenly went off as a large power level appeared and was heading their way. Cloud had a pretty good idea just who that was. Turning, he spotted the source of the power level flying towards them. The figure landed on the ground and sure enough, it was Goku.

"Perfect timing," Luttice remarked.

Goku stood and faced the two Saiyans. "Cloud, Luttice. I wasn't expecting to see you two here." He then noticed Vegeta on the ground, injured and unable to move. "What happened to Vegeta?"

"Frieza," Cloud replied. "He did that to Vegeta."

"So that's Frieza, huh," Goku said, eyeing the Galactic Tyrant. "I figured he had to be powerful, but sensing him now...Well, it doesn't matter. I'll take care of this."

"You sure, Goku," Cloud asked. "Frieza's pretty strong. It might be best to let us help out."

"I appreciate that, but I'll take him myself, if you don't mind," Goku said. "It's not every day I get to fight someone so strong. But, hang around here anyway, just in case this fight gets out of hand. Until then, leave him to me."

Cloud sighed. While he had his doubts about this, as a Saiyan he could well understand Goku's need to fight a strong opponent. And at the very least he and Luttice would be nearby to help out just in case.

"Alright, Goku," Cloud said. "We'll leave this to you. But if it looks like you're in trouble, we're stepping in."

"Got it," Goku replied. "Thanks."

Goku approached Frieza and stood before him, both fighters sizing each other up.

"So now I'm fighting you," Frieza asked. "How droll. Honestly, you Saiyans seem to have a death wish. No matter. One or three of you, you'll all die by my hand."

With that, both Goku and Frieza powered up and then charged at one another!

End of Chapter Ten...


End file.
